Understanding early cognitive skills in children with Down syndrome
Official title: Risk for Severe/Profound Intellectual Disability in Down Syndrome
Funded at Colorado State University · NIH-11396397 · Data updated 2026-11-12
We’re studying how early thinking skills develop in young children with Down syndrome and what factors influence severe intellectual disability later on.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Colorado State University NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Fort Collins, United States) |
| Project start | September 4, 2024 |
| Project end | August 31, 2029 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $677,780 |
| NIH project number | 5R01HD113720-03 |
| Project ID | NIH-11396397 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Ideal candidates are young children (around 12–36 months) with Down syndrome and no major unrelated medical conditions.
✕Less likely to help
Children without Down syndrome or outside the study age window are unlikely to benefit from this specific project.
What this research studies
This project follows 90 children with Down syndrome from ages 1 to 3, with three visits to map how their cognitive skills grow over time. Researchers will collect cognitive assessments, developmental measures, and blood samples to explore links between cognition, behavior, medical history, and biological markers related to Down syndrome. The goal is to build a model of early cognitive trajectories and identify factors that relate to more severe outcomes. Results could help tailor early support and identify biomarkers that signal risk for profound delays.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: The study could lead to earlier identification of children at higher risk for severe cognitive delays and inform personalized early interventions.
How similar studies have gone: Prior work has shown variability in cognitive development among children with Down syndrome; this study adds a longitudinal, biomarker-informed approach to understand early trajectories.
Where this research is happening
-
Colorado State University
Fort Collins, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Fidler, Deborah J — Colorado State University
- Study coordinator: Fidler, Deborah J
Related research
Other NIH-funded projects on the same topics.
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Why some children with Down syndrome have very low early thinking skills
Researchers will follow a group of young children with Down syndrome over three years to learn which medical, behavior, and blood markers link to very low early cognitive skills.
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Understanding cognitive development in children with Down syndrome
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Understanding brain responses in children with autism and intellectual disability
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About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page.