Motor skills, cognitive development and balance functions of children with Down syndrome
Journal Title: Annals of Agricultural and Environmental Medicine - Year 2013, Vol 20, Issue 4
Abstract
Introduction and objectives: Motor and cognitive development of children with Down syndrome (DS) is delayed and inharmonic. Neuro–muscular abnormalities, such as hypotonia, retained primary reflexes, and slow performance of volitional reaction, result in difficulties with body balance. The aim of the presented study is to assess the global motor functions and body balance of children with DS in relation to age and mental development. Material and methods: The study group consisted of 79 children with DS (42 boys, 37 girls), average age 6 years and 3 months ± 4 years and 6 months. Participants were divided according to age range into 3 groups: < 3 years old, 3 – 6 years old, > 6 years old. Children were assessed using Gross Motor Function Measure-88 (GMFM-88) and Paediatric Balance Scale (PBS). Psychological diagnosis served to determine the degree of mental development using the Brunet–Lezine Scale for children younger than 3 years old, and the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children (WISC) for those who are older than 3 years. Nine children in research group had not been diagnosed by psychologists, which is the reason why the analysis referring to mental development was performed in 70 children (34 girls, 36 boys), with an average age of 4 years and 6 months. Results: GMFM–88 scores were significantly lower in children with moderate psychomotor delay than in children with mild psychomotor delay, or normally developed children, p=0.043. GMFM-88 scores in children with profound mental impairment were lower than in children with mild or moderate mental impairment. There was a statistical significant correlation between GMFM-88 scores and the PBS scores, r= 0.7, p<0.0001. Conclusions: Motor development of children with Down syndrome from towns and villages in the Greater Poland region is associated with cognitive development, especially in the first three years of life, with the balance functions being closely related to motor skills.
Authors and Affiliations
Roksana Malak, Malgorzata Kotwicka, Agnieszka Krawczyk-Wasielewska, Ewa Mojs, Włodzimierz Samborski
Keywords
Related Articles
- EP ID EP80709
- DOI -
- Views 153
- Downloads 0
Determining the scale of designer drugs (DD) abuse and risk to public health in Poland through an epidemiological study in adolescents
Since 2008, it has been recognised by most health authorities worldwide that the abuse of newly-emerging psychoactive drugs, (‘designer drugs’/‘legal highs’; DD), in youth is a rapidly increasing problem, especially in t...
Deleterious effects of traditional Chinese medicine preparations on the course of psoriasis – a case report
Psoriasis is a chronic, systemic and difficult to treat condition which negatively affects the patient`s quality of life. Frustrated and unsatisfied with the conventional therapies, psoriatic patients start looking for a...
Clinical usefulness of assessing VEGF and soluble receptors sVEGFR-1 and sVEGFR-2 in women with breast cancer
Introduction. The biological activity of VEGF depends on the presence of its specific receptors on the endothelial surface: VEGFR-1, VEGFR-2, and on their soluble forms sVEGFR-1 and sVEGFR-2. The binding of the membrane-...
Health effects of selected microbiological control agents. A 3-year follow-up study
Introduction and objectives: Microbiological control agents (MBCA) are widely used in greenhouses, replacing chemical pesticides. The presented study aims to describe health effects of exposure to three types commonly us...
Prevalence of Coxiella burnetii antibodies in wild ruminants in Kavecany zoo, Kosice, eastern Slovakia.
Coxiella burnetii is an obligate intracellular agent that causes Q fever in humans and animals. The most important reservoirs of C. burnetii in nature are small wild rodents, but infection was also demonstrated in other...