It may, but more often it means that a medical problem needs to be addressed, or that your child's educational program or communication method needs some adjustment. In children with Down syndrome who have difficulty paying attention, ADHD is a diagnosis of exclusion. What follows is a discussion of these problems. In order for a child to pay attention to classroom material, she has to be able to hear and to see it. Both hearing and visual problems are common in children with Down syndrome.
Ear infections are overwhelmingly common, and, even if treated, can cause hearing loss for weeks.
People with Down syndrome have middle ear structural abnormalities that can cause lifetime mild to moderate hearing loss. Hearing screens should be performed annually until three years of age, and every other year thereafter. Children with abnormal hearing evaluations should be seen by an ENT physician to manage treatable causes of hearing loss. A child with Down syndrome should be evaluated by an eye doctor during the first year of her life, and every 1-2 years thereafter depending on what her visual problems are. About thirty per cent of people with Down syndrome have thyroid disease at some point in life.