Adulthood and neurodevelopmental conditions

Question 1

Life expectancy

Answer 1

William’s syndrome- life expectancy not well studied- similar to neurotypical people
Can be shortened due to comorbid health conditions- heart problems, mental health issues

Autism- mortality rate 16 years earlier than normal
30 years earlier in autistic individuals with an intellectual disability

Question 2

William’s syndrome in adulthood

Answer 2

Mean age of 26, mean IQ of 6
Identical cognitive profile to children with WS

Questionnaire
Health- 79% had heart problems, 51% had depression or anxiety
Independence- 62% still lived with families. 16% lived independently
Education- 71% had attended college, only 33% had attained formal qualifications
Work- 20% still in full time education

Question 3

Down syndrome

Answer 3

Reach each development stage later and stay there longer
Leads to the development gap widening with age

Cognitive- difficult to investigate due to co-morbidity with early onset Alzheimer’s disease
The instruments used aren’t appropriate for all individuals
Memory/cognitive decline in-line with expectations for neurotypical individuals

Accelerated aging
Skin and hair changes, early onset menopause, visual and hearing impairments, diabetes and musculoskeletal problems

Question 4

Down syndrome and Alzheimer’s

Answer 4

Key features of Alzheimer’s disease is excessive amounts of two proteins: amyloid (forms plaque) and tau (forms tangles)
The gene that code for amyloid production (APP) is located on chromosome 21- the chromosome that is duplicated in down syndrome
Up to 100% of individuals 40+ old show the plaques associated with AD