Associations of Child and Adolescent Mastery Motivation and Self-Regulation With Adult Outcomes: A Longitudinal Study of Individuals With Down Syndrome.
For kids with Down syndrome, early persistence and self-control predict stronger adult independence better than IQ.
01Research in Context
What this study did
Visser et al. (2017) followed the same people with Down syndrome from childhood all the way to adulthood.
They looked at two early skills: mastery motivation (the drive to keep trying hard tasks) and self-regulation (stopping, starting, and switching behavior).
Years later they checked how well these adults could live, work, and make choices on their own.
What they found
Kids who showed strong mastery motivation and good self-regulation became adults with better daily living skills and more self-direction.
Each skill added its own boost; having both was best.
The link held even after accounting for IQ, so motivation and self-control matter beyond smarts.
How this fits with other research
Dodds et al. (2011) saw the same children score just as high as younger typical kids on hands-on motivation tasks, yet parents still rated them lower. The new study shows parent worry may miss long-term payoff: observed early motivation still predicts real-life adult success.
Marchal et al. (2016) found social skills in Down syndrome outrun daily-living skills. Visser et al. (2017) extend that picture: early drive and self-control help close the daily-living gap by adulthood.
McCarron et al. (2002) warned that withdrawal rises in teens with Down syndrome. Linda’s team now show the flip side: building self-regulation early can steer the same teens toward stronger adult independence instead of decline.
Alaimo et al. (2015) saw fewer adaptive skills listed as adults got older, but not worse quality. Linda et al. answer the “why care” question: childhood motivation and regulation predict who keeps the most skills, so intervene before the drop.
Why it matters
You can’t change IQ, but you can build persistence and self-control. Embed choice, puzzles, and wait-stretch games in daily sessions. Track who keeps trying after errors and who stops; coach the stoppers first. These cheap, everyday moves may matter more for adult independence than extra academic drills.
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02At a glance
03Original abstract
This 20-year prospective longitudinal study focuses on the contribution of mastery motivation and self-regulation to adult outcomes for individuals with Down syndrome. In earlier phases of the research, 25 participants completed measures of cognitive ability, mastery motivation and self-regulation in childhood (4 to 6 years) and adolescence (11 to 15 years). In the adult phase reported here, self-determination and adaptive behavior were assessed in 21 of the original participants at age 23 to 26 years. Mastery motivation and self-regulation made unique contributions to adult outcomes, over and above the effects of cognitive ability. The findings provide powerful evidence about the important role of child and adolescent mastery motivation and self-regulation for the adult lives of individuals with Down syndrome.
American journal on intellectual and developmental disabilities, 2017 · doi:10.1352/1944-7558-122.3.235