Project CAPEabilities
Researchers are conducting a study in young children with Down syndrome to learn more about the development of early social and play skills.
Fast Facts
Parent or Guardian and a Child Younger Than 23 Months Old
Child Has Down Syndrome
Compensation Provided
Conducted Nationwide
Study Background
How do early skills like play and communication develop in young children with Down syndrome?
Project CAPEabilities is studying the development of early communication and play skills in children with Down syndrome. We are interested in how these skills are related to other parts of development, like thinking and social skills, as well as other aspects of health and potential co-occurring conditions.
Participation involves in-person visits, once a year for three years. At each visit, your child will complete games and activities that involve thinking, language, and play skills. We will also ask you to complete virtual caregiver interviews and surveys.
If you have a child with Down syndrome younger than 23 months old, you and your child may be eligible to participate in this research project. Help us advance research to better support families like yours!
Study Background
How do early skills like play and communication develop in young children with Down syndrome?
Project CAPEabilities is studying the development of early communication and play skills in children with Down syndrome. We are interested in how these skills are related to other parts of development, like thinking and social skills, as well as other aspects of health and potential co-occurring conditions.
Participation involves in-person visits, once a year for three years. At each visit, your child will complete games and activities that involve thinking, language, and play skills. We will also ask you to complete virtual caregiver interviews and surveys.
If you have a child with Down syndrome younger than 23 months old, you and your child may be eligible to participate in this research project. Help us advance research to better support families like yours!
Additional Information
The purpose of this research study is to learn more about young children with Down syndrome and how they develop play and communication skills. We will be studying how these skills are related to other aspects of development, health, and the development of co-occurring conditions, such as autism. Findings will inform how to shape early education and intervention for children with Down syndrome and how to identify children with Down syndrome who might need more support for social and play development.
You may qualify for a study if you meet the following criteria.
Inclusion Criteria:
- Parent of a child with Down syndrome
- Child is younger than 23 months old
- Child and caregiver understand English
If you decide to take part in this research study, you and your child will have in-person visits once a year for three years. Each year’s visit may be completed as a single 4-hour testing session or two 1.5-hour sessions within a week of each other. For some locations, our study teams are able to travel to the homes of participants for in-person testing.
At each visit, your child will play games and complete activities with one of our research team members. These activities include answering questions, pointing, using different toys, and playing games. While your child is completing these tasks, you will be asked to fill out questionnaires about your child’s development. For part of the games and activities, we will ask you to be in the room with your child and participate.
We will also schedule a time to interview you by video teleconference. This meeting will be scheduled within two weeks of your annual in-person visits. The interviews will include answering questions about your child’s medical history and behavior. Each meeting will last about two hours.
Participating families will be compensated $100 per year for a total of $300 over the course of the study.
There is no cost for you and your child to participate in our research study.
