Abstract
Abstract Introduction: Down Syndrome (DS) is a chromosomal abnormality characterized by mental retardation of varying degrees and is one of the most commonly found chromosomal aberrations, presenting motor delay such as muscular hypotonic, balance disorders, motor coordination and gait changes. Objective: To evaluate the functional capabilities in children with Down syndrome through the Pediatric Evaluation of Disability Inventory (PEDI). Methods: 20 children of both sexes, 10 with normal motor development (Control group) and 10 with Down syndrome. The functional capabilities were evaluated by PEDI (part I: functional capabilities, part II and III: caregiver assistance and change in environment) through interviews with caregivers. Results: Significant differences were observed in Part I, regarding functional capabilities in self-care (p = 0.0007), mobility (p = 0.0007) and social function (p = 0.0002), and in Part II, regarding caregiver assistance, the domains of self-care and mobility had p <0.0001 and p = 0.001. In Part III, changes in environment were more frequent when related to Down group. Conclusion: The Down syndrome group has lower functional performance in both functional capabilities and caregiver assistance, when compared to control group. However, it is clear that this questionnaire provides subsidies to make an early stimulation treatment in order to perform daily skills with the least possible help from their caregivers.
Highlights
Down Syndrome (DS) is a chromosomal abnormality characterized by mental retardation of varying degrees and is one of the most commonly found chromosomal aberrations, presenting motor delay such as muscular hypotonic, balance disorders, motor coordination and gait changes
The sample was composed of 20 children from both sexes, 10 children with normal motor development, corresponding to control group, mean age 54.5 ± 12.1 months, and 10 children with Down syndrome corresponding to Down Group, mean age 61.2 ± 11.8 months
According to Pazin (2007) [26], the development and maturation of children with Down syndrome are near those presented by children with normal development as regards the overall motor skills. These results suggest that, as the child with DS acquires capabilities in the area of mobility, they are incorporated in their daily activities, and getting less help from caregiver [26,29,30]
Summary
Down Syndrome (DS) is a chromosomal abnormality characterized by mental retardation of varying degrees and is one of the most commonly found chromosomal aberrations, presenting motor delay such as muscular hypotonic, balance disorders, motor coordination and gait changes. Objective: To evaluate the functional capabilities in children with Down syndrome through the Pediatric Evaluation of Disability Inventory (PEDI). Methods: 20 children of both sexes, 10 with normal motor development (Control group) and 10 with Down syndrome. The functional capabilities were evaluated by PEDI (part I: functional capabilities, part II and III: caregiver assistance and change in environment) through interviews with caregivers. In Part III, changes in environment were more frequent when related to Down group. The motor acquisition in the early years of life is an important factor for predicting the overall development of the child, as the period between birth and the end of the irst year of life is characterized by changes that culminate in mobility functions such as crawling and independent walking, respectively at 9 and 12 months of age [6]
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