A prospective, longitudinal study of functional decline in individuals with Down's syndrome

This paper used the standardized criteria proposed by Aylward et al I995 for diagnosing Alzheimer's Disease in individuals with learning disabilities to undertake a prospective, longitudinal study of 22 individuals with Down's syndrome. Results show that, after a period of up to 6 years, four individuals showed functional decline. A similar pattern of decline was found to that described in previous studies, although the mean age of onset was later. All four subjects met the criteria for probable Alzheimer's Disease.