# A Cognitive Test Battery for Intellectual Disabilities

> **NIH NIH R01** · UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA AT DAVIS · 2021 · $774,746

## Abstract

Abstract
 The overarching goal of this R01 project (“A Cognitive Test Battery for Intellectual Disabilities”) is to develop
and validate an assessment battery to measure cognitive outcomes of individuals with intellectual and
developmental disability (IDD) in clinical trials. To achieve this goal, over the past 7 years we have been
compiling data, making appropriate accommodations for this unique and challenging-to-test population, and
carefully examining the psychometric properties (including feasibility, reliability, validity, and sensitivity to
change) of the NIH Toolbox Cognitive Battery (NIHTB-CB), an iPad-based and norm-referenced set of tests
measuring Fluid Reasoning (Processing Speed, Working Memory, Episodic Memory, Inhibitory Control and
Attention, and Cognitive Flexibility) and Crystallized Language (Receptive Vocabulary and Reading) in children
and youth with IDD, including those with fragile X syndrome (FXS), Down syndrome (DS), autism and
idiopathic/other IDDs. The purpose of the present Administrative Supplement application is to request
additional funds to extend data collection to older adults with IDD, including DS and FXS. Aging in IDDs
is understudied, and older individuals are often excluded from research in part due to limitations in available
assessment tools. The supplement will allow collection of NIHTB-CB data, standardized IQ and adaptive
behavior data and measures from the ABC-Down Syndrome consortium harmonized core from 100 adult
participants (50 with DS, 50 with FXS; ages 26 and up, stratified across young and older adult groups), as well
as blood samples for biomarker characterization in collaboration with the ABC-DS group. Based upon the ABC-
DC dementia assessment, we plan to include 20 with dementia to allow examination the potential sensitivity of
the NIHTB-CB to dementia-related cognitive changes. Our extended data collection with adults will fall primarily
within the scope of project Aims 1 and 3, which focus on optimization of the battery for lower functioning persons
and sensitivity of the battery to developmental changes. In particular, we will examine the newly collected data
from aging persons to determine whether modifications may be necessary, whether new tests may need to be
developed, and whether it shows potential for detecting deterioration in cognition associated with aging or
neurodegeneration, as in some participants with DS. As aging in DS is associated with high risk of early
developing Alzheimer’s disease (AD), it is important to develop and validate cognitive tests that may be used to
track the disease process and response to intervention. Cognition and neurodegeneration in older adults with
FXS have been largely ignored, despite evidence of AD-related biomarker abnormalities and cognitive decline
in some patients. The supplemental data collection from the FXS cohort will help to determine whether larger,
more extensive longitudinal studies are justified to describe the natural history of t...

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10456432
- **Project number:** 3R01HD076189-07S1
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA AT DAVIS
- **Principal Investigator:** DAVID R HESSL
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2021
- **Award amount:** $774,746
- **Award type:** 3
- **Project period:** 2014-09-22 → 2025-09-29

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10456432

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10456432, A Cognitive Test Battery for Intellectual Disabilities (3R01HD076189-07S1). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-26 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10456432. Licensed CC0.

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