Fundamental motor skill proficiency among 7- to 10-year-old children with Down syndrome.
Myo Thein Tun, Thanda Aye, Thwe Zar Chi Htut and 2 others
PMID 36628149WHAT IT FOUND
In 7- to 10-year-olds, children with Down syndrome scored much lower than matched peers on running, jumping, throwing and catching skills, with movement age of three to four years.
Key findings
01Children with Down syndrome had lower locomotor and object-control scores and lower Gross Motor Quotient than matched typically developing children.
02The mean locomotor and object-control age equivalents for children with Down syndrome were between three and four years, younger than their chronological age.
03No significant differences were found between boys and girls in locomotor standard scores, object-control standard scores, or Gross Motor Quotient in either group.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTs
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What it does not show
The children with Down syndrome were recruited from one special education school in Yangon, so the results may not represent all children with Down syndrome in Myanmar. The study included only children who could follow two-step commands and walk independently, so it says little about children with more severe motor or cognitive limitations. The sample was small, with 30 children in each group. The design was cross-sectional, so it can describe group differences but cannot show what caused them. Children with Down syndrome also had higher BMI and were mostly overweight or obese, so the lower motor scores cannot be separated from weight status. One physiotherapist scored all typically developing children and the other scored all children with Down syndrome, which could introduce scoring differences between groups.
Declared interests
The authors reported no funding and no conflicts of interest.
The easy way to misread this
Do not conclude that Down syndrome alone caused the lower motor scores, or that obesity caused them. This was a cross-sectional comparison, and the children with Down syndrome were also overweight or obese, so the study cannot separate these factors.