Leg Movement Rate Pre- and Post-Kicking Intervention in Infants with Down Syndrome

Aim Children with Down syndrome (DS) have delayed development and atypical movements including kicking. We hypothesized that a kicking intervention would significantly increase leg movement rate. Methods Nine infants, 3-5 months old, with DS used a commercially available toy that encouraged kicking. The intervention was administered in their home for 20 minutes, 5 days a week, for 8 weeks. Leg movement rate was measured using Opal wearable sensors before and after the intervention. At post-test, a secondary analysis compared infants with DS to infants with typical development (TD). Results Average leg movement rate increased significantly from pre to post intervention, from 2253 to 2645 movements per hour of awake time (p = 0.049). Compared to data from nine infants with TD, infants with DS had a significantly lower movement rate post intervention (p = 0.002). Conclusion The infants with DS demonstrated a higher leg movement rate following an in-home kicking intervention.