Distribution and age of onset of psychopathological risk in a cohort of children with Down syndrome in developmental age

Abstract

Background: Aim of the study is to intercept specific characteristics and psychiatric comorbidity in Down Syndrome (DS). The study describes the distribution and the age of specific aspects of behavioral phenotype in a sample of subjects with DS. Methods: Psychopathological risk has been evaluated in a 97 DS patient cohort, aged 1 to 18 years, during regular follow-up neuropsychiatric visit and through administration of Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL); Childhood Autism Rating Scale (CARS-T) was assessed to verify the presence of autistic behaviors. Results: The results show the presence of specific psychopathological risk factors in 90% of the sample. 7% of sample presents autistic features. The risk of psychopathology is independent of the degree of intellectual disability. Conclusion: The high frequency of psychopathological risk factors indicates the need for accurate monitoring to intercept specific characteristics, such as in the case of comorbidity for autism. The search for specific psychopathological factors is a little explored aspect to date, as evidenced by the literature. Despite the studies available to date highlight the presence of psychopathological vulnerability in DS, so far there are only few reports that explore this issue systematically.