Winter/Spring 2025

Highlights

Hello friends! We hope your year is off to a fantastic start! There are so many exciting things happening in the DD Lab this spring. We hope to connect with you and your family for upcoming studies and intervention opportunities! Please reach out to our team if you are interested in learning more!

In February, we had the honor of hosting clinical leaders from across Latin America for the launch of a new international collaborative project with the Linda Crnic Institute. It was a joy to welcome them, and we learned so much from our esteemed colleagues during their visit!

A large group of Developmental Disabilities Research Lab team members smile.

A group of Developmental Disabilities Lab members and collaborators smile while holding various international flags.

World Down Syndrome Day 2025

The DD Lab’s director, Dr. Deborah Fidler, had the honor to participate in World Down Syndrome Day 2025 at the United Nations Headquarters in New York City. She gave a presentation on supporting families of children with Down syndrome.

Our entire DD Lab team is honored to be a voice in supporting families and advocating for meaningful change. Here’s to continuing this important work together!

Follow us on Instagram!

The DD Lab now has an Instagram where we will be sharing updates about the lab. Follow us!

Science Corner

Laboratory-based Measures of Executive Function and Daily Living Skills in Young Children with Down Syndrome: Informing Future Interventions (Van Deusen et al., 2024)

Study Activities:

From our recently completed EXcEEDS study, we were able to publish one of the first papers to link executive function skills to activities of daily living over time in children with Down syndrome.

What did we find?

This paper described how children’s performance on lab activities that require executive function skills (working memory, inhibition, and cognitive flexibility) are associated with the development of practical daily living skills one year later, as reported by caregivers.

Why is this important?

These findings suggest that practicing executive function skills could have a long-term effect on self-care and independence in children with Down syndrome. This insight can help parents, educators, and clinicians choose effective targets for education and intervention during the childhood years.

Check out our research opportunities!

The Birthday Study

The DD Lab at CSU has a new research study that focuses on the connections between early learning and biology in babies with Down syndrome! Study visits will take place around your child’s first birthday! Interested in learning more? Contact our team, and we will be happy to share more information!

Age: 13 months and younger

Families receive: Up to $300

Location: We are excited to come to you!

Early Health and Motor Abilities in Down Syndrome

Our team is conducting an exciting study on the early foundations of health and motor abilities in children with Down syndrome. Participants will engage in playful assessment activities and wear a physical activity watch at home. Parents will fill out surveys and have the option of wearing a physical activity watch, too. Your participation will help us learn how to best promote healthy outcomes!

Age range: Children 18-47 months of age

Families receive: $100 per year, up to $300

Locations: Fort Collins and Greater Denver

A graphic featuring four, cute, illustrated animals running in a meadow.

Evaluating Cognitive Outcome Measures in Down Syndrome

We are excited to announce the renewal of our Cognitive Outcome Measures in Down syndrome project. We have two participation opportunities with this project. The first will invite 6 to 17-year-old children with Down syndrome to participate in five visits over a year with our team. Families may receive up to $500 for participating.

The second opportunity invites families to continue participating in a longitudinal study for 4 more years! Up to $450 of compensation is available for returning participants.

Locations: Fort Collins and Greater Denver

lightbulb in someone's hand signifying ideas

Executive Function Play Opportunities: EXPO

Age: 13 months and younger

Families receive: Up to $300

Location: We are excited to come to you!

A graphic that reads Executive Function Play Opportunities, with the letters `EXPO` and illustrated animals.

Project CAPEabilities

This study focuses on how young children with Down syndrome play and communicate! We are studying how these skills grow in children with Down syndrome and how they connect to other factors like health conditions and autism. Interested in learning more?Contact us!

Age: 23 months and younger

Families receive: $100 per year for 3 years of participation

Locations: We are excited to come to you!

Fun lab updates

Bowl-A-Thon

A photo of four Developmental Disabilities Research Lab team members smiling at a bowling alley.

The team had such a fun time at this year’s International Mosaic Down Syndrome Association (IMDSA) Bowl-A-Thon!