Dr. Nicole Baumer Speaks at the Annual Emory Down Syndrome Research & Caregiver Symposium

Dr. Nicole Baumer, Director of GLOBAL Affiliate the Anna and John J. Sie Center for Down Syndrome, recently spoke at the annual Emory Down Syndrome Research & Caregiver Symposium, discussing common neurodevelopmental and behavioral characteristics, skills, and abilities in Down syndrome, and how to apply neurodevelopmental knowledge to address behavior challenges and plan effective interventions.

While acknowledging common behavioral challenges that often occur in people with Down syndrome, Dr. Baumer began her presentation focusing on the positive characteristics associated with the diagnosis, noting that using a child’s strengths is key when seeking strategies to help address challenges or needs. Dr. Baumer encouraged attendees to try to understand the motivation driving concerning behaviors, including communication, social attention, avoiding unwanted tasks/situations, and sensory stimulation.

Dr. Baumer outlined specific strategies that may help address behaviors, including positive reinforcement and redirection. Importantly, she noted that while punishment may decrease the likelihood of a behavior, it is not effective for long-term behavior change and can strain relationships.

Along with being Director of the Sie Center, Dr. Baumer is also an associate professor of neurology at the University of Colorado School of Medicine and the GLOBAL Endowed Chair for Down Syndrome at Children’s Hospital Colorado. As such, she underscored the importance of looking for potential medical causes of challenging behaviors, such as pain (ears, dental, musculoskeletal, headache, menstrual), infection, sleep disorders (including obstructive sleep apnea), nutrition, hearing or vision impairment, celiac disease, thyroid issues, and gastrointestinal problems (constipation, reflux, abdominal pain). In addition to physical health problems, Dr. Baumer also shared the importance  of considering co-occurring neurodevelopmental, behavioral, and mental health conditions, such as autism, ADHD, depression, anxiety, and OCD. She added that it is important to avoid diagnostic overshadowing, where behavior issues are just attributed to the person having Down syndrome. In these cases, Dr. Baumer stressed that children and adolescents with Down syndrome should receive the same specialized intervention and care as children with these conditions who do not have Down syndrome.

Dr. Baumer encouraged parents who have concerns regarding their child’s behavior to seek comprehensive evaluation, including a medical/clinical evaluation, a psychosocial assessment of stressors, an assessment of skills, and a neuropsychological assessment. She concluded her talk with a discussion of evidence-based strategies, including behavioral interventions, environmental modifications and accommodations, and medications.

The Emory Symposium brought together nearly 150 family members and professionals dedicated to advancing care and improving lives. Other speakers included Keynote Speaker and self-advocate, Martha Haythorn; Dr. Melissa Parisi, Intellectual and Developmental Branch Chief of the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development; Sheryl Arno and Tamara Pursley, Executive Directors of GLOBAL Organization Members Down Syndrome Association of Atlanta and Adult Disability Medical Healthcare, respectively; and Dr. Angela Rachubinski, Director of the Clinical and Translational Sciences Program at the Linda Crnic Institute for Down Syndrome.

The annual Emory Down Syndrome Research & Caregiver Symposium is a program of the Emory Down Syndrome Center, led by Dr. Tracie Rosser. The Center is part of the Emory University School of Medicine Department of Human Genetics.

     

 

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