About this session

Saturday, 10:20 AM - 11:50 AM

Understanding the Development of Motor Skills in Infants and Children with Down Syndrome

Down syndrome (DS) is the most commonly occurring neurogenetic condition, affecting roughly 1 in 1000 live births worldwide. Individuals with DS often display delays and differences in motor skills, but many details of the early development of motor skills in DS have yet to be characterized. These details are essential because attaining new motor skills can have far-reaching cascading effects across many different developmental domains (Oakes & Rakison, 2019). This symposium includes three presentations describing innovative research on (a) the development of motor skills in young children with DS and (b) how these developments support exploration and activities of daily living in children with DS. Our first presentation investigated the stepping behavior of infants with DS during supported treadmill stepping versus using a suspension walker that allowed infants to experience movement through a real-world environment. The second presentation documented a new approach to characterizing the fine motor behaviors of infants with DS during their free exploration of an engaging toy. Our third presentation explored whether children with DS who have a consistent hand preference show more independence in activities of daily living that require fine motor skills than children who use their hands interchangeably. Together these presentations reveal a rich array of connections among the motor skills of infants and young children with DS and their engagement in many criticaldaily skills. The symposium will culminate in integrative questions generated by a discussant with expertise in early motor and cognitive development and applications to DS.

Paper #1
Title	Development of Supported Overground Stepping in Infants with Down Syndrome
Presenting author	Kari Kretch, University of Southern California, United States

Paper #2
Title	A New Approach to Characterizing Fine Motor Manipulation in Children with Down Syndrome
Presenting author	Lisa Daunhauer, Colorado State University, United States

Paper #3
Title	Parent Perceptions of Fine Motor Skills in Children with Down Syndrome
Presenting author	Eliza L. Nelson, Florida International University, United States

View all paper details

Session chair
Amy Needham, Ph.D., Vanderbilt University, United States

Discussant
Amy Needham, Ph.D., Vanderbilt University, United States

⇦ Back to schedule