An 8-week pilot binary randomized controlled trial involving one hour of shared book reading per week in young people with and without Down syndrome.

Those in the control group will be informed that they will wait 8 weeks before they can join the shared book reading sessions. Dyads will not be put in contact with each other. To keep young people with DS engaged with the study, those in the control group will be offered 3 books, from the selection of 20, that they can read themselves during the control period. After the 8-week period those that attend the shared book reading sessions will be introduced to their dyadic partner to participate in the sessions fully.

The intervention involved us pairing each teen DS with a college student to form a duo. Each group consists of one person with DS and at least one college student who will work together throughout the shared reading intervention. A weekly event hosted by a graduate student. It begins with ice-breaking activities such as color and music games to promote social interaction between participants. After the game, participants chose from a selection of 20 books suitable for different age groups. They can choose their own reading method, such as reading aloud or assigning roles, and are encouraged to share experiences in their own duos or in a large group of multiple duos. The session ends with a sharing and reflection activity where participants can discuss what they have read and plan for the next session.

Health related quality of life for young people with DS will be measured using the Children's Quality of Life Scale (PedsQL4.0). The Child Quality of Life Scale (PedsQL) is a common tool used to assess a child's quality of life and can be used to measure quality of life (QOL) in children and adolescents aged 2-18 years with acute or chronic medical conditions, including DS. The PedsQL4.0 covering domains of physical functioning, emotional state, social interaction, and school performance, as well as providing a total score for overall quality of life. The PedsQL4.0 items ask to what extent the participant has had problems in the past month. The higher the score on the PedsQL4.0 tool indicates a higher the quality of life. The questionnaire showed good psychometric characteristics among young people and internal consistency (Cronbach's alpha range was 0.66 to 0.93).

The Global Perceived Effects scale (GPE) used in the responsiveness analysis and for determining the minimal important change. Caregivers choosing response options"very much improved"and"much improved"were considered to have "importantly improved,"and those choosing options 3-5 ("a little improved, no change and a little deterioration") were considered to be"stable."For research or clinical evaluation to understand the impact of shared book reading activities on children's quality of life and their caregivers. This information is valuable to doctors, researchers, and healthcare providers because it can help them evaluate the effects of interventions and improve future intervention strategies.