Motor Development in School‐Aged Children With Down Syndrome: a longitudinal perspective

Abstract

Movement is life! Motor development plays an essential role in the development of all children. From their earliest years, the attainment of motor milestones and the proficient development of motor skills provide the basis for the many other areas of development. Effective and efficient movement enhances confidence and has been shown to contribute to self-concept and self-worth. Little is known about the development of motor proficiency in individuals with Down syndrome beyond their early childhood. This study was designed to investigate motor development in school-aged children to provide a more comprehensive picture of motor development into adolescence. The study was undertaken over 10 years in Brisbane, Australia, with a group of children involved in the Schonell Research Centre longitudinal study into Down syndrome. Results showed that the children's motor proficiency continued to progress into adolescence and that there were a wide range of inter-and intra-individual differences in their skill levels and rates of progress.

Early learning and adaptive behaviour in toddlers with Down syndrome: Evidence for an emerging behavioural phenotype?

“…While there is a growing body of knowledge regarding the Down syndrome behavioural phenotype, much of what is known is based on research involving older children, adolescents, and adults with Down syndrome (Haxby, 1989;Jobling, 1998;Varnhagen, Das & Varnhagen, 1987;Vicari, Carlesimo & Caltagirone, 1995;Wang & Bellugi, 1994). By studying only older children and adults, researchers may have a false impression that phenotypic outcomes are static in nature, and that areas of relative strength and weakness are present from the earliest stages of development.…”

“…Jobling (1998) found that children with Down syndrome show delays in the development of aspects of gross motor and fine motor skills, though aspects of motor development were found to be CA-appropriate. Similar relative weaknesses have been demonstrated in motor planning, or praxis (Mon-Williams, et al, 2001).…”

“…Another aspect of the Down syndrome behavioural phenotype involves difficulties with motor skills and motor planning (Jobling, 1999;Jobling, 1998;Mon-Williams et al, 2001). Jobling (1998) found that children with Down syndrome show delays in the development of aspects of gross motor and fine motor skills, though aspects of motor development were found to be CA-appropriate.…”

Performing movement sequences with knowledge of results under different visual conditions in adults with Down syndrome

“…Elliot, Weeks and Gray (1990) found that verbal-motor problems are more pronounced when oral and manual gestures involve two and three movement components. Jobling and Mon-Williams (2000) found poor per- formance on tasks that required asymmetrical activities or tasks that required complex sequences of movement. These fi ndings raise a number of interesting issues.…”

“…Although clumsiness is a broad term that is not well defi ned (Latash, 2000), there are certain motor features that give an overall impression of poor coordination or clumsiness. These include a variable and delayed pattern of motor development, defi cits in tasks involving balance, speed and visuo-motor control (Connolly & Michael, 1986;Harris, 1983), bilateral coordination (Jobling & Mon-Williams, 2000), and hypotonia (Anson, 1992). Detailed analyses of movements have shown that individuals with Down syndrome demonstrate longer reaction times in comparison with neurologically typical individuals (Blais & Kerr, 1986;Henderson, Illingworth & Allen, 1991), longer overall movement times (Hodges, Cunningham, Lyons, Kerr & Elliott, 1995), and increased variability in performance (Welsh & Elliot, 2000).…”