The Motor Skill of Preschool Children with Down Syndrome

Children with Down syndrome encounter numerous problems with motor skills development. Weakness in fine motor skills may initially seem negligible; however, over time, as they enter society, it becomes one of their major challenges. Moreover, it simply keeps these children from achieving what they deserve. Considering the importance of motor skills in maintaining a child's independence and developing other skills, including self–help, play, social, and academic skills, and in general, individual adaptation to the environment, developing coarse and fine motor skills in these children is a significant issue in improving performance and growth. The current research aimed to study the motor skills of preschool children with Down syndrome and compare their skills with the expected rate.

The statistical population of this cross–sectional study was 6–year–old children with Down syndrome who were referred to Iran’s Down Syndrome Association and ValiAsr Rehabilitation Institute. The study subjects were selected by the purposive sampling method (N=30). The inclusion criteria were having an Intelligence Quotient (IQ) of 50–70 (educable), not having orthopedic, neurological, and congenital anomalies and cerebral palsy; not having visual and hearing impairment, and parents’ consent. Using the Gross Motor Function Measure (GMFM–88; Russell et al., 1989) their motor skills were assessed. Data analysis was performed using descriptive statistics, including mean and standard deviation and inferential statistics, including a One–Sample t–test in SPSS at a significance level of 0.05.

The average sleeping (p<0.001), sitting (p<0.001), crawling (p<0.001), and walking skills (p<0.001) in the study subjects were significantly different from the expected level (or age norms obtained from the standardization process of the measuring instrument and per the average values of the healthy controls). There was no significant difference only in the standing skills between the explored children and the healthy population (p=0.091).

Based on the current research findings, the physical skills of children with Down syndrome are lower than expected; these children manifest significant deficits in the skills of sleeping, sitting, crawling, and walking. However, they do not experience significant defects in standing.