Effect of early intervention in an interdisciplinary group of children with Down syndrome in a special integration center

Abstract

Objective: To verify the effects of early stimulation on the motor and cognitive development of children with Down syndrome taking part of an interdisciplinary early stimulation group at a Special Child Integration Center. Methods: Prospective Observational Study carried out at a Special Child Integration Center with children from 0 to less than 1 year of age, taking part of an early stimulation group and who were not participating in any other intervention. Children included were evaluated in the rehabilitation sector of the institution. The instrument used was the Child Behavior Development Scale and the data were presented descriptively with percentage based on the answers of individual behavior and on the group average pre- and post-intervention. Results: The group was homogeneous regarding the characteristics and possible factors associated to developmental delay. In the motor and cognitive performance, individually all children had an improvement on their performance equal or greater than 50% in comparison to the initial assessment, and the group had a 62.5% growth in comparison to the initial evaluation. Conclusion: In group early stimulation brings benefits on the motor and cognitive development of children with Down syndrome in interdisciplinary care.Key-words: early stimulation, child development, Down syndrome.