Relationship between motor skill competency and executive function in children with Down's syndrome.

Area of Science:

• Neurodevelopmental disorders
• Pediatric neurology
• Cognitive neuroscience

Background:

• Down syndrome (DS) is a genetic neurodevelopmental disorder.
• Children with DS often experience motor and cognitive challenges.
• Previous research indicates motor and executive function deficits in DS.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess motor skills and executive functions (EFs) in school-aged children with DS.
• To examine the relationship between motor skills and EFs in children with DS.

Main Methods:

• Utilized the Test of Gross Motor Development (TGMD-2), Movement Assessment Battery Children-2 (MABC2), and Trail-Making Test (Trails-P).
• Assessed 18 children with DS (ages 7-11) and 18 typically developing (TD) controls matched for age and sex.
• Evaluated gross motor skills, object control, and executive functions including attentional control and response suppression.

Main Results:

• Children with DS demonstrated poorer performance in attentional control, response suppression, and both locomotor and object control skills compared to TD children.
• A positive correlation was observed between motor performance and EF in the DS group, particularly in complex tasks.
• Teacher-reported motor skills on the MABC2-Checklist strongly correlated with EF in children with DS.

Conclusions:

• Children with DS exhibit impairments in higher-order executive functions and deficits in motor skills.
• Findings underscore the importance of early interventions targeting both cognitive abilities and motor skills in DS.
• Interventions should address the interconnectedness of motor and executive function development in children with Down syndrome.