ABSTRACT
To confirm the 1994 findings of Okuzumi, Haishi, and Kokubun, the displacement of the center of foot pressure, one-foot balance and head sway were measured in children with Down syndrome (n = 11) compared to those with other types of mental retardation (n = 17). The magnitudes of the displacement of the center of foot pressure and head sway were not significantly different between the Down group and other forms of mental retardation, whereas the performance of one-foot balance was significantly lower in the Down group. The mean frequencies of sway waves were generally higher in the Down group, and the differences between the two groups were significant except for sagittal head sway. The results generally supported the prior findings. We proposed that it was not the magnitude of the displacement of the center of foot pressure but rather the manner of the whole body's sway which might be related to postural control.
