Leg Movement Rate Pre- and Post-Kicking Intervention in Infants with Down Syndrome.
Rahil N Khasgiwale, Beth A Smith, Julia Looper
PMID 33792482WHAT IT FOUND
Nine infants with Down syndrome increased their daily leg movement rate after an eight-week home kicking toy intervention, but they still moved less than infants with typical development.
Gross motor scores improved, yet the study cannot prove the toy caused the change.
Key findings
01The leg movement rate for infants with Down syndrome increased significantly from 2002.25 to 2350.67 movements per hour of awake time after the intervention.
02Despite the increase, the post-intervention movement rate for infants with Down syndrome remained significantly lower than that of the typical development comparison group.
03Average Alberta Infant Motor Scale raw scores increased significantly from 11.3 points to 20.3 points over the eight-week period.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTs
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What it does not show
The study lacked a control group for the intervention; it is impossible to determine if the changes were due to the kicking toy or normal infant development. The sample size was small (n=9 per group). The analysis did not differentiate between specific types of leg movements, such as antigravity kicking versus other movements. The study did not measure functional outcomes or learning, only movement metrics and AIMS scores. The comparison group data came from a different study, introducing potential variability in data collection conditions.
Declared interests
The authors declare no conflict of interest.
The easy way to misread this
Do not assume the kicking toy caused the improvement in gross motor scores. Because there was no untreated control group receiving the same care, the observed increases in movement rate and AIMS scores could be the result of normal developmental maturation rather than the intervention.