We gave the Rivermead Behavioural Memory Test for Children (RBMT‐C) to 37 community dwelling adults with Down's syndrome. Ages ranged from 19 to 44 years (mean 29 years, SD 6 years). We wanted to know (a) if the test could be administered to this group and (b) how people with Down's syndrome compared with children aged 5 to 10 years. All subjects were able to participate in the test and all were ' off the floor'. Story recall was the hardest subtest for people with Down's syndrome, while remembering to deliver a message was the easiest. We discuss the possible use of this test in studies comparing older people with Down's syndrome with Alzheimer patient