Self-Imposed Delay of Gratification in Adolescents With Down Syndrome

This study examined the associations between ability to delay gratification and language, temperament and generalized self-regulation in young people with Down syndrome. Using a median split, those who delayed gratification longer had better expressive language, were less impulsive on a measure of temperament and had higher reported self-regulation. The combination of these variables provided very good discrimination using logistic regression. Delay of gratification is the ability to work towards a goal and to resist temptations that would interfere with that goal, and has been shown to be predictive of a range of desirable outcomes for children. For example, researchers found that children who waited longer in a delay of gratification task at four years of age showed more independence and competence i