Effects of early physical therapy on motor development in children with Down syndrome.

Objective: The objective of the study was to compare the motor development of children with Down syndrome (DS) who received physical therapy (PT) and did not receive PT, and to show the effect of PT programs started before the age of one on movement development. Methods: The study included aged between 6 and 42 months, 58 children with DS. Children with DS were divided into two groups as receiving PT and non-receiving PT. Children with DS who received PT were further divided into two groups according to the age of starting PT as before and after 1 year of age. Gross motor and fine motor development of the cases were evaluated with Bayley Scales of Infant and Toddler Development III. Results: Gross motor scaled scores (GM-SS: 3.88±3.46-1.67±1.23), fine motor scaled scores (FM-SS: 4.29±3.24-1.79±0.93), and composite scores (64.4±19.5-50.38±5.38) of PT group were statistically higher than the non-PT group (p<0.05). In addition, GM-SS (5.22±4.23-2.38±1.20), FM-SS; (5.61±3.85-2.81±1.37), and composite scores (72.33±23.85-55.56±5.7) of the cases who started PT before the age of one were statistically higher than those who started after the age of one (p<0.05). Conclusion: Our results revealed that PT especially when started early childhood under had a positive effect on the development of gross and fine motor in children with DS and provided a scientific basis for referring children with DS to PT programs before the age of one. Clinicians should recommend PT for children with DS in the early period.

The relationship between motor performance and femoral cartilage thickness in children with Down syndrome.

Down syndrome (DS) is a genetic disorder associated with mental and motor developmental delays in childhood. The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship of the femoral cartilage thickness with motor performance in children with Down syndrome (DS). A total of 39 children with DS in the age range of 12-42 months were included in the study (female/male: 21/18; mean age: 23.4 ± 8.2 months). Femoral cartilage thickness was measured with ultrasound in the medial and lateral condyles and intercondylar areas of both knees. Gross motor subtest scaled scores of the Bayley Scales of Infant and Toddler Development III were used for the motor performance assessment. There was a positive correlation between the gross motor scaled scores and the femoral cartilage thickness in both knee joints (p < .05; r = 0.415 for the right medial condyle; r = 0.323 for the right lateral condyle; r = 0.339 for the right intercondylar area; r = 0.369 for the left medial condyle; r = 0.364 for the left lateral condyle, and r = 0.590 for the left intercondylar area). The study demonstrated that the femoral cartilage thickness was positively correlated with gross motor functioning in children with DS.

Sleep patterns of young children with newly diagnosed atopic dermatitis.

INTRODUCTION: Even though atopic dermatitis (AD) most often begins in the first year of life, it is not well known whether sleep disturbances occur following the onset of the disease or whether they develop later. AIM: To determine the sleep patterns of young children already diagnosed with AD in comparison to a control group by using a validated questionnaire, the Brief Infant Sleep Questionnaire (BISQ). MATERIAL AND METHODS: Forty-six children with a new diagnosis of AD and 60 healthy children, aged 3-36 months, participated in the study. Their sleep behaviors were assessed using the BISQ along with a structured sociodemographic data form. RESULTS: It was found that when compared with healthy children, children with AD did not have decreased daily total sleep duration (p = 0.1); however, it was found that they woke up more frequently at night (52.2% vs. 40%, p = 0.4) and they stayed awake significantly longer than 60 min when they woke up (41.3% vs. 11.7%, p < 0.05). In addition, mothers of children with AD reported that their children had three times as many sleep problems compared to the reports of mothers of healthy children. CONCLUSIONS: The findings of this study showed that sleep disturbance was more common in young children with already diagnosed AD, and the BISQ provided a practical way to assess the sleep patterns. The use of a screening tool to enable early identification and treatment of childhood sleep problems among patients with AD should be encouraged.