6 Brain Differences In Your Child With Down Syndrome And How It Impacts Behavior
Being a Mom of a child with Down Syndrome is one of the most rewarding and hardest roles of my life. I love my child with Down Syndrome with every fiber of my being but there are times I’m frustrated by his behavior.
Sometimes I simply do not understand and I ask myself…
Why is he doing that?
Hey Mama Bears, full disclosure here. There are affiliate links in this post so if you click on the link and buy the product I will earn a small commission. Now that we’re clear on that let’s get back to rocking life with special needs!
Behavior is a form of communication and asking ourselves why is a key part of understanding the behavior so we can manage it.
Every individual with Down Syndrome is unique, but there are commonalities we see especially when it comes to behavior issues. These behaviors can be frustrating for parents, teachers, and other caregivers.
Since behavior issues can be stressful for us special needs Moms I’m going to write a three part blog series focusing on this topic. By the end of the series you’ll be better equipped and hopefully empowered to rock any and all behaviors you may encounter.
Even though this series will focus on children with Down Syndrome I’m sure it will be helpful to other special needs Moms as well.
Now Mama Bears, as with anything on the TwentyOne Dandelions blog you should decide what will work for you and your family, what won’t, and implement accordingly.
In order to come up with ideas and techniques that actually work to address behaviors causing problems we have to first understand why they’re occurring.
One of the most helpful books I have ever come across focusing specifically on behaviors in our children with Down Syndrome is Dr. David Stein’s book titled Supporting Positive Behavior in Children and Teens with Down Syndrome.
If you have a child with Down Syndrome I highly recommend you buy this book for your personal library.
Understanding How The Brain Of An Individual With Down Syndrome Is Different
Before we dive into the 6 brain differences there are two mindsets we as parents need to change when it comes to our thoughts on our child’s behavior.
The first one is not to view undesirable behaviors as intentional.
Our children really didn’t wake up and decide they were going to ruin Mom or Dad’s day by flopping and dropping in the middle of the grocery store. Rather we need to think of behavior as a form of communication. This helps us respond in a more constructive manner.
Secondly, behavior management is not intuitive.
When we’re super frustrated and want to scream and punish our child for misbehaving often this is when they need a hug and a calm parent the most. This was a light bulb moment for my own parenting.
To recap, when addressing behavior issues keep these two things in mind.
Undesirable behaviors are NOT intentional
Behavior management is NOT intuitive
It’s difficult to manage something if you don’t understand it. Dr. Stein helps parents appreciate some key differences between our brain and the brain of someone born with Down Syndrome. With this knowledge we can better understand why they do some of the things they do.
Brain Difference In Down Syndrome #1 Learning And Memory
Dr. Stein explains the hippocampus and temporal lobe are both very important for learning and retaining new information.
When a typically developing child learns something new their brain processes the new info and then encodes it by transferring it to their longer term memory. After this, the brain consolidates the information or stores it permanently.
In children with Down Syndrome, their hippocampus and temporal lobe act differently with the biggest difference being their new information isn’t transferred into long term memory as easily or as consistently.
Dr. Stein’s book piqued my curiosity and I started researching brain differences in people with Down Syndrome.
A review study looking at neuroimaging found youth with Down Syndrome to have a smaller frontal lobe, temporal lobe, cerebellum, and hippocampus.
Wowza!
This explains a lot.
Our experience with Max is it takes A LONG TIME and A LOT OF REPETITION for him to learn something new.
It can be very frustrating when all of his typical peers are getting it and moving on and Max is left behind.
HIs brain is different though and he’s not being lazy or not trying. It's literally something he CANNOT control.
This is one reason individuals with Down Syndrome tend to thrive with routine. They have trouble processing new information including new routines. It can be scary if you’re not sure what’s going to happen next in your day.
Brain Difference In Down Syndrome #2 Visual Versus Verbal Learning
People with Down Syndrome tend to be stronger visual learners than they are verbal learners. The areas of the brain that process visual information tend to be stronger and better developed than the areas that process language.
This is why visuals can be SO helpful for your child with Down Syndrome.
We utilize visuals a lot in our home.
When Max was younger we used a visual schedule in the morning and in the evening at home to help these times of the day run smoothly and give him some independence. We also utilized a first-then board and token board a lot.
Visual Schedule: Morning Routine
Currently, he has a visual schedule at school that helps him with transitions between periods.
When learning new things we really try to play towards his visual strengths. Although flashcards often get a bad rap we find they are quite effective for helping Max learn.
Brain Difference In Down Syndrome #3 Language
Receptive language skills tend to be stronger than expressive language skills in people with Down Syndrome.
What this means is people with Down Syndrome understand a lot of what others are saying to them, but struggle to express their own wants, needs, and thoughts.
Imagine how frustrating it would be if you could understand everything being said around you but your mouth was glued shut and you couldn’t talk. When Max was in preschool we found his inability to adequately express himself was a big cause of several of his undesirable behaviors.
Recess was especially tough because he wanted to play with the other kids but didn’t have the language to tell them that. Instead he would resort to grabbing their hand and dragging them or giving overly exuberant hugs tackling his friend to the ground.
This did not go over well.
Brain Difference In Down Syndrome #4 Executive Function
Dr. Stein says another difference we see in the brains of people with Down Syndrome is in the frontal lobe which controls executive function. Executive function is the set of actions that occur in our brain allowing us to decide on, plan out, and monitor our progress towards a goal.
It allows us to remember what we’ve done, what we need to do, and ignore distractions as we’re working towards our goal. Executive function can also impact the speed in which we process information.
Each of the executive functions deciding, planning, monitoring progress and quality of work, as well as resisting impulses that distract us are somewhat weaker in people with Down Syndrome.
Dr. Stein tells us the good news is the frontal lobes often develop into early adulthood and he’s seen the executive functions of many people with Down Syndrome improve when they’re young adults.
Even so, a person with Down Syndrome will be more successful if we can build in external executive function support such as reminders to stay on task, timers to monitor how much time is left, and breaking work down into smaller steps using visuals to help plan and organize their approach.
Brain Difference In Down Syndrome #5 Social Functioning
Although not universally true, in general the brain profile of people with Down Syndrome is such that they tend to be quite sociable. This is definitely our experience with Max. He is very interested in others and likes to gain their attention. He’s quite the showman when he wants to be.
And that leads me to my next point which is that although in general Max is quite social he is not sweet all the time.
There are times he’s most certainly NOT social and takes on a very grumpy disposition. This tends to throw people off who may not be familiar with people with Down Syndrome because there’s this misconception that they are always sweet.
Dr. Stein says some studies have shown that although sociable, people with Down Syndrome have reduced “social problem-solving” skills. Meaning they want to interact but don’t know how to go about it.
He writes if a person with Down Syndrome is really outgoing and social this can cause or exacerbate some behavioral challenges because on a brain based level social reactions are very powerful. He likes to refer to it as the “social emotional radar” and it’s very strong in people with Down Syndrome.
The problem arises when someone has a strong reaction to something the child did. For example, if Max bit me I would likely yell “Ouch” loudly and then make eye contact with him and with a very animated face tell him that it hurt and we don’t bite.
The problem is because I’m so animated Max isn’t processing what I’m saying, all he’s processing is my social response and it’s very exciting for him.
Another issue that arises because of their social functioning and connection to others is people with Down Syndrome are very sensitive to loss. Dr. Stein and his colleagues have found separation from peers, a teacher, a one-on-one aide; the loss of a family member, or the event of a sibling heading off to college can have a huge impact. It hits them hard and because of that behavior issues may arise.
Brain Difference In Down Syndrome #6 Motivation
The final brain difference between individuals with Down Syndrome and those without lies in motivation. Motivation is the inner drive we have to take action in order to reach a goal or complete a task.
Some research shows people with Down Syndrome have a decreased inner drive to complete tasks.
Why does this happen?
Dr. Stein tells us to take a step back and look at all of the challenges individuals with Down Syndrome face with language, executive functioning, memory, and learning. When you take into account all of those things it’s easy to see how a task we consider simple would be challenging for someone with Down Syndrome.
We can also understand why you would lose motivation to complete a task if it was really challenging. Admittedly, this is one reason we are big fans of token boards.
Token boards are where a child earns a token for something such as completing a problem, staying on task for 5 minutes, etc and when they earn all of their tokens they receive a prize. This was a key reason we used token boards ALL of the time when Max was younger.
6 Brain Differences In People With Down Syndrome Graphic
Finally, although this is not considered a brain difference it’s an important concept to understand when you have a loved one with Down Syndrome. Dr. Stein calls this the Gas in the Tank Theory.
When we wake in the morning we have a certain amount of gas in our tank to get us through our day. We use up a lot of gas when we do things that are hard, challenging, or emotional.
Our children with Down Syndrome use up the gas in their tanks much faster than we do performing the same tasks such as getting dressed. Also, if they don’t understand what’s coming next and are anxious or scared this uses up a lot of gas too.
Think about how you feel after you’ve had to do something that was super challenging or stressful. You were over it right? I know all I want to do is go home and curl up in bed with a good book or Netflix.
Well our children with Down Syndrome can run out of gas and may do so much earlier than others. Just like when we run out of gas they’re tired and easily frustrated. They may express these feelings through behaviors because they may not have the language to tell you how they’re feeling or they may not even know.
Remember, behavior is a form of communication.
So there you have it Mama Bear! 6 brain differences in people with Down Syndrome and how those differences may impact behavior.
I highly recommend you get Supporting Positive Behavior in Children and Teens with Down Syndrome by David Stein, Psy. D. This book is full of helpful information for those of us who have a loved one with Down Syndrome.
This post looked at the 6 brain differences in people with Down Syndrome and how it can impact behavior. The next post will look at the 7 common behavior issues in children with Down Syndrome and tips to manage them.
If you enjoyed this post then check out…
Positive Parenting Solutions For The Special Needs Mom
How To Deal With Temper Tantrums: A Guide For The Special Needs Mom
Dandelion Tribe Takeaway: Supporting Positive Behavior in Children and Teens with Down Syndrome is a super helpful book for any parent struggling to understand and manage behaviors in their child with Down Syndrome. The first step is to understand the brain differences in people with Down Syndrome and how it impacts their behavior. The 6 brain differences Dr. Stein talks about are
#1 Learning and Memory
#2 Visual versus Verbal Learning
#3 Language
#4 Executive Function
#5 Social Functioning
#6 Motivation
Mama Bear Share: Did you learn anything surprising from this blog post?
