Impact of maladaptive behavior on school function in Down syndrome.
OBJECTIVE
Individuals with Down syndrome (DS) are at an increased risk for certain maladaptive behaviors. This study characterized maladaptive behavior in school-aged children with DS and examined the extent to which maladaptive behaviors are associated with school function.


METHODS
Participants were 24 students with DS [mean nonverbal mental age (NVMA)=43.83months; mean chronological age (CA)=77.58months] who completed the Leiter Scales of Performance- Revised (Leiter-R; Roid & Miller, 1997). Their teachers completed the Behavior Assessment Scales for Children Version 2 (Reynolds & Kamphaus, 2004), and the School Function Assessment (Coster et al., 1998), measures of maladaptive and adaptive behavior as observed in the school setting.


RESULTS
Findings reveal a maladaptive behavior profile of elevated areas including Aggression, Attention Problems, and Somatization. When examining the association between maladaptive behavior and school function, multivariate regression results indicated a significant association between Aggression and Compliance, and Attention Problems and Task Completion.


CONCLUSIONS
Results underscore the importance of developing training for educators regarding the potential impact of maladaptive behavior on school function for students with Down syndrome.
Department of Human Development and Family Studies, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO, 80523-1570, United States. Electronic address: elizabeth.will@colostate.edu.
Elizabeth A
EA
Will
Department of Human Development and Family Studies, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO, 80523-1570, United States.
Brianne
B
Gerlach-McDonald
Department of Human Development and Family Studies, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO, 80523-1570, United States.
Deborah J
DJ
Fidler
Department of Human Development and Family Studies, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO, 80523-1570, United States.
Lisa A
LA
Daunhauer
D000374:Aggression / Q000523:psychology*; D001007:Anxiety / Q000523:psychology*; D001288:Attention; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003863:Depression / Q000523:psychology*; D004314:Down Syndrome / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D000071896:Medically Unexplained Symptoms; D000066553:Problem Behavior / Q000523:psychology*; D012574:Schools; D013334:Students / Q000523:psychology*
Aggression; Attention; Down syndrome; Maladaptive behavior; School function