Document Type

Article

Publication Date

5-1-2026

Journal / Book Title

Journal of Applied Research in Intellectual Disabilities

Abstract

Background Longer life expectancy in Down syndrome (DS) has shifted concern to age-related declines in everyday functioning. Adaptive and maladaptive behaviours are pivotal to quality of life, yet little is known about their patterns in older adults with DS.Method Data from 259 cognitively stable adults (25-72 year) in the Alzheimer's Biomarkers Consortium-DS were analysed. Adaptive behaviour (Vineland-3) and maladaptive behaviour (Reiss Screen) were analysed and then regressed on age, intellectual disability level, and cognitive tests.Results Higher age and greater disability predicted poorer adaptive functioning, but effects waned after cognition was included. General cognition, cued-recall memory, and inhibitory control independently predicted adaptive skills. Maladaptive behaviours were rare, lacked cognitive or demographic predictors, and correlated negatively with adaptive scores.Conclusions By identifying strengths, vulnerabilities, and predictors of behavioural functioning, this study offers insight into future clinical and caregiving strategies for aging adults with DS.

DOI

10.1111/jar.70234

Rights

This is an open access article under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs License, which permits use and distribution in anymedium, provided the original work is properly cited, the use is non- commercial and no modifications or adaptations are made.

Published Citation

Yang, Y., Conde, S., Bhullar, R., & Alzheimer's Biomarker Consortium on Down Syndrome Stud. (2026). Adaptive and Maladaptive Behaviours and Their Cognitive Correlates in Aging Adults With Down Syndrome. Journal of Applied Research in Intellectual Disabilities, 39(3), e70234.

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