This study determines the effect of orthotic use in combination with treadmill training on the development of gross motor skills and walking onset in infants with Down syndrome.
The goal of this study is to determine if orthotic use impacts the development of walking and upright play skills over and above the impact that treadmill training alone has. Infants with Down syndrome who can pull to stand but not walk will be recruited and assigned to a group that receives treadmill training and orthoses or just treadmill training. The infants are followed monthly until they have one month of walking experience. During the monthly visits, the infants' gross motor development is tested and their upright play behavior is observed. At the end of the study each infants gait is evaluated. We believe that the orthoses will lead to a decreased age at walking onset, an improvement in gait patterns, and an improvement in upright play ability.
Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Purpose
TREATMENT
Masking
NONE
Enrollment
22
Parents hold their infants on an infant treadmill for 8 minutes a day, 5 days a week. The treadmill speed is set at 0.2 m/s.
In addition to treadmill training the infants receive Supramalleolar orthoses. They wear the orthoses for 8 hours a day, 5 days a week.
University of Michigan
Ann Arbor, Michigan, United States
Pattern of Gross Motor Development
Age in months at walking development as indicated by the Gross Motor Function Measure, a standardized test of gross motor development.
Time frame: monthly; starting when child can pull to stand and ending when the test determined that the child was walking.
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