Examination of Factors Related to Motor Performance and Physical Activity in School-aged Children with and without Down Syndrome.

Abstract

Due to widespread genetic constraints, children with Down syndrome (DS) are believed to experience deficits in several developmental domains. However, much of the research in this area is dated or inconclusive. In addition, the inter-relatedness between developmental domains is relatively unexplored in children with DS. Therefore, the primary objectives of the current studies were to: 1) describe the physical, motor, and activity profiles of school-aged children with and without DS; 2) explore physical- and activity-based correlates to gross motor skills; and 3) investigate socio-emotional characteristics of children with and without DS and determine if they were related to gross motor skills, physical activity, and participation. To address these questions, forty children with DS (N=20, mean age = 7.9 years) and with typical development (TD) (N=20, mean age = 7.9 years) were assessed on their physical, motor, activity, and socio-emotional characteristics. Results indicated that children with DS had increased range of motion, decreased leg strength, poorer gross motor skills, and less diversity in their recreational activities compared to the TD group. On average, the two groups were not different in terms of their generalized physical activity levels, however, which may be due to hyperactivity in a subsample of the children with DS. Findings also revealed that physical characteristics (e.g. leg strength), generalized activity, and participation all significantly predicted gross motor skill performance in the DS group whereas only physical characteristics significantly contributed to models of gross motor skills for the children with TD. With respect to socio-emotional development, children with DS had more social and behavioral problems than their peers with TD. Increased gross motor skill ability and participation were associated with higher social competence in both groups. For children with DS, generalized physical activity seemed to be associated with behavioral problems curvilinearly such that there may be an optimal range of activity to promote socio-emotional well-being in this population. Collectively, results from these studies demonstrate the high level of inter-relatedness between developmental domains in school-aged children with DS. Future research should consider motor skill and physical activity interventions to promote overall development and well-being in this population.