# Early risk for ADHD symptoms in young children with Down syndrome

> **NIH NIH R21** · COLORADO STATE UNIVERSITY · 2020 · $232,453

## Abstract

Abstract
Individuals with Down syndrome (DS) are at elevated risk for Attention Deficit and Hyperactivity Disorder
(ADHD). This comorbidity is associated with adaptation difficulties among individuals with DS throughout their
lifespan, and contributes to the pronounced financial burden associated with health care for individuals with DS
and their families. Comorbid ADHD, therefore, is a major health concern for individuals with DS. However, there
is currently no scientific foundation for the early detection and treatment of this comorbidity. To address this
gap in our knowledge, this project will adopt an innovative retrospective research design that will allow us to
leverage a wealth of existing data on a large cohort of infants with DS (n= 78), and then link those data to the
current presentation of ADHD symptoms and cognition at 4-5 years. We will also examine the role of biomedical
risk in the link between infant cognition and later ADHD symptoms, with an examination of the moderating
effects of sleep disturbance, congenital heart defects, prematurity, and other conditions that occur frequently in
DS. We will use an advanced quantitative analytic approach utilizing latent variable models within a structural
equation modeling framework to examine these longitudinal associations. Findings from this study will facilitate
earlier detection of comorbid psychiatric symptoms and directly address the DS INCLUDE objective of “defining
the presentation and course of co-occurring conditions in individuals with DS” to inform future treatment
innovations and improve adaptation in this population.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10022152
- **Project number:** 5R21HD101000-02
- **Recipient organization:** COLORADO STATE UNIVERSITY
- **Principal Investigator:** DEBORAH J FIDLER
- **Activity code:** R21 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $232,453
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2019-09-20 → 2022-08-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10022152

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10022152, Early risk for ADHD symptoms in young children with Down syndrome (5R21HD101000-02). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-22 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10022152. Licensed CC0.

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