Down's syndrome, research and practice : the journal of the Sarah Duffen Centre最新文献

Improved social and educational opportunities and access to informed healthcare are helping today's generations of people with Down syndrome to achieve more and live longer. This progress is bringing new challenges. Scientific research is steadily improving our understanding of the condition. Future improvements in the lives of people with Down syndrome will require multidisciplinary efforts and more applied or translational research with practical outcomes. In this context, this journal has reviewed the roles it plays in communicating research to specialists and non-specialists, families, practitioners and researchers alike.

Individuals with Down syndrome typically have low fitness levels and obesity despite data that indicate physiological gains from physical activity and exercise interventions. Low fitness levels and obesity in individuals with Down syndrome may be related to sedentary lifestyles, social and recreational opportunities, or low motivation to be physically active. These causal influences on the overall health of individuals with Down syndrome may be related to parental or caregiver support. Through this study, parents of children with Down syndrome from preschool to adolescent ages were interviewed about their perceptions of the health and physical activity needs of their children. Data from four focus groups indicated the following most salient themes: (1) all parents believed participation in physical activity has immediate and long-term positive health impacts on their child with Down syndrome, and most of the parents thought their child would benefit from being more physically active, (2) most parents observed that their child participated in physical activities primarily for social reasons, most notably to be with their peers with or without Down syndrome or to be with their sibling(s), and that without such motivation their child would choose sedentary activities, (3) parents of teenagers identified a need for their child to learn an individual sport to have sporting opportunities that do not require ability-matched teammates and opponents, and (4) parents recognised their need for help from physical activity specialists through either parent education regarding home-based physical activity programmes or an increase in appropriate community-based physical activity programmes for their child with Down syndrome. The interview data suggest future research should evaluate the outcomes of long-term individualised home-based physical activity interventions for children with Down syndrome. Additionally, educators, recreation specialists, and therapists should assist children and youth with their acquisition of skills used in individual and dual sports.

Objective: This study was carried out to determine the oral health condition and treatment needs of a group of individuals with Down syndrome in Nigeria.

Method: Participants were examined for oral hygiene status, dental caries, malocclusion, hypoplasia, missing teeth, crowding and treatment needs. Findings were compared with controls across age group, sex and educational background of parents.

Result: Participants with Down syndrome had poorer oral hygiene than controls, with no significant sex difference. Oral hygiene was similar in the lower age groups but deteriorated with age in the Down syndrome group.

Conclusion: Individuals with Down syndrome in Nigeria have poorer oral health and more treatment needs than controls. They would benefit from frequent oral health assessment.

This paper discusses the use of Numicon number teaching materials with children with Down syndrome. The theory underlying the design of the materials is discussed, the teaching approach and methodology are described and evidence supporting effectiveness is outlined.

The Moscow charity Downside Up is celebrating its 10th Anniversary this year. In Russia, on average only 15% of children with Down syndrome live with their families. In Moscow, thanks to the work of Downside Up, some 45% of new babies are now being taken home. Downside Up is working to ensure children with Down syndrome receive high quality services from birth to 7 years.

Being physically active can have a number of benefits - having fun, meeting with friends, keeping healthy and experiencing success. For children with Down syndrome the foundations need to be laid early if they are to keep active in school, teenage and adult years and parents ask for more help in this area from professionals.

This study sought to determine the prevalence of bruxism in a Mexican community of children with Down syndrome, and to evaluate bruxism's relationship with age, sex, intellectual disability level, and type of chromosomal abnormality of trisomy 21. Using a cross-sectional design, 57 boys and girls (3 to 14 years old) were examined. Three approaches to establish presence or absence of bruxism were employed: parental questionnaire, clinical examination, and dental study casts. Data were analysed using bivariate analyses and conditional logistic regression. We found that the overall prevalence of bruxism was 42%. No statistically significant associations between bruxism and age, sex, or intellectual disability level were found. There was, however, a significant association between bruxism and type of chromosomal abnormality, with mosaicism being more frequently associated with bruxism.

The hard palate is viewed as playing an important role in the passive articulation of speech. Its probable role in the defective articulation of speech in individuals with Down syndrome has been examined in the present study. In individuals with Down syndrome, the hard palate is highly arched, constricted, and narrow and stair type with malformed misaligned teeth and a large and fissured tongue. As a result good palato-lingual contact is not achieved, with resulting defective articulation. Using orthodontic and prosthodontic principles could modify this situation, i.e. the anatomy of the hard palate. The altered palatal contour may give better placing to the tongue, leading to improved palato-lingual contact and articulation. The dimensional parameters measured were: average linear width (AVL), average curvilinear width (AVCL), average height (AVH) at different planes; average antero-posterior length (AAP), average volume (V), palatal arch length (PAL), and palatal index (PI). The findings were compared with those of controls of the same age and sex. The AVL, AVCL, AAP, PAL, V and PI values of patients with Down syndrome were found to be less than the corresponding values of controls and the average height values of patients with Down syndrome were greater than the corresponding values of controls. Statistical significance was observed in all measurements between the controls and the patients with Down syndrome, especially in those concerning the height and the volume of the oral cavity. Observations from this study have suggested that prostheses might be designed to modify the palatal anatomy and produce better articulation in people with Down syndrome.

This paper presents a review of all patients with Down syndrome seen over a 5-year period by one consultant neurologist in general outpatient and specialist cognitive function clinics. It revealed only 7 cases in > 4500 general referrals (= 0.2%), all referred with suspected seizure disorders. The diagnosis of epilepsy was confirmed in 6 patients. Only one new, comorbid, diagnosis was made. Neurologists have little exposure to, and hence little chance to develop expertise in, the neurological complications of Down syndrome. It is suggested that closer liaison between neurologists and psychiatrists with an interest in learning disability might improve the management of neurological problems in patients with Down syndrome.