# Autism in Young Children with Down Syndrome

> **NIH NIH R01** · COLORADO STATE UNIVERSITY · 2023 · $1,275,017

## Abstract

Abstract
This project aims to advance early screening procedures for autism spectrum disorder (ASD)
in young children with Down syndrome (DS). Co-occurring ASD is a lifelong condition that
impacts quality of life, adaptation, and cost of care for individuals with DS. A lack of
systematic research on early development in young children with DS has significantly
hindered efforts to identify those at heightened risk for ASD. The current lack of early
detection means that children with DS+ASD do not benefit from developmentally informed,
anticipatory early interventions that are available to the general population of young children
with ASD. This project will identify markers of ASD risk in DS with an examination of two
areas: (1) developmental presentation during early childhood in the areas of cognition,
communication, motor skills, adaptive behavior, and other relevant developmental domains,
and (2) the presence of candidate biomedical risk conditions including premature birth and
low birth weight, infantile spasms (West syndrome), congenital heart defects, sleep
dysregulation, and gastrointestinal conditions. We will characterize developmental profiles,
biomedical conditions, and ASD symptom presentation comprehensively in a cohort of 225
young children with DS across three data waves (Wave 1: 18-21 months; Wave 2: 30-33
months; Wave 3: 42-45 months). We will then model the relationship between developmental
and biomedical factors at Waves 1 and 2 and ASD presentation at Wave 3 via mixture
modeling to identify the strongest early predictors of later ASD outcomes. Based on these
analyses, we will generate recommendations for ASD screening protocols for children with
DS ages 18 to 45 months. Findings from this study will directly address the NIH INCLUDE
objective of improving health and well-being for people with DS.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10735533
- **Project number:** 1R01HD110542-01A1
- **Recipient organization:** COLORADO STATE UNIVERSITY
- **Principal Investigator:** Nicole Baumer
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2023
- **Award amount:** $1,275,017
- **Award type:** 1
- **Project period:** 2023-09-01 → 2028-06-30

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10735533

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10735533, Autism in Young Children with Down Syndrome (1R01HD110542-01A1). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-23 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10735533. Licensed CC0.

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