Down Syndrome Support Group

Have you had her thyroid checked ?? This can be a silent cause of memory loss . Also is she depressed ??? If so this can also cause memory loss. Our children have a high rate of cell death ad this is of course leads to early dementia . There are a few things you can do to help delay this ( mabye even prevent ) Coconut is supposedly good . Gingko biloba is a must . Also have a look at the changing minds web page . Prozac is good as it creates new brain cells ( so does excercise and stumulation with new experiences ) . Focalin will help with attention span and gingko biloba inhibits Gaba which will allow the memory part of our kids brains to work . It does not work properly in our kids without treatment . Hope some of it helps , my son is only 9 so beyond advice I dont have much else to offer I'm afraid , Katie

I agree with Katie be sure and have her thyroid chkd this can realy cause problems as it did with my daughter at about the age your daughter is now.My kath is 48 and has definite signs of altzeimers and is being treated with razadyne and namenda.She didn't show any symptoms until she was about 44-45.Ihope this may help,I will keep hoping for you that it is just her thyroid as this is an easy fix.Janet Kathsmom.

I just wanted to add to what Katie said about depression. When my son (now 26) moved from a 'school' setting to an adult setting --- a sheltered workshop, new location and all new people --- he went through a period of depression. We first noticed it at home, since his new staff and co-workers didn't know him well enough to see any difference. He seemed to 'forget' how to sort his laundry, and phone numbers he had always known, and other of his skills. He got what we called foggy. He was on Zoloft for about 2-1/2 yrs. after this and it seemed to help him. He has been off it now for almost 2 yrs. and no recurrence of the fogginess and forgetting. This may not apply to your daughter, but it is worth looking into. I wish you both lots of success in finding out what is wrong.

My sister is 47. I wasn't at home when she was your daughters age, but the main thing that I have learned is that she, and all DS kids, need consistancy. Whenever something out of the norm happens (new work place, new school, new residence), they tend to regress. Once they are comfortable, it seems to go away. That is my experience. I know that everyone is different, but you might want to think about it.

I have a sister who is 24 and her memory seems to be doing fine. I have heard that DS people will show signs of dementia in their 40s. She has problems with her thyroid and is on medicine for it. So also recommend that you get the thyroid checked.