Participants
Twenty-six children participated in the study with 13 children each in
the DS (chronological age = 31.55 ± 4.14 months; mental age = 14.75 ±
1.84 months) and TD group (chronological age = 17.31 ± 1.64 months;
mental age = 17.39 ± 1.96 months; Table 1). Parents of children in the
DS group submitted a medical record confirming the genetic diagnosis of
Trisomy 21. Parents of TD infants completed a brief screening to confirm
absence of any birth/family/developmental history of delays.
Additionally, all parents confirmed the absence of any significant
physical/visual/hearing impairments which would impair child’s
participation in the study. Participants in the DS group were recruited
from local organizations, centers, and schools. TD infants were
recruited through birth records obtained from the state and through word
of mouth. The group demographics including the age, sex, ethnicity, and
parents’ age and education are provided in Table 1. Both groups were
similar in terms of mental age, sex, ethnicity, and parents’ age, but
differed in terms of parents’ education (Table 1). The parents in the DS
group had fewer years of education compared to the parents in the TD
group (p < 0.05, Table 1). All parents signed the
consent form approved by the university’s Review Board before
participating in the study.