A comparison of the balance and gait function between children with Down syndrome and typically developing children

[Purpose] The purpose of this study was to compare the balance and gait functions of children with Down syndrome and typically developing children according to age. [Subjects and Methods] The subjects were 16 children with Down syndrome and 20 children with typical development. The one leg standing test, Romberg's test (open eyes/closed eyes), sharpened Romberg's (open eyes/closed eyes), functional reaching test and GAITRite were used for this study in order to measure the children's balance and gait function. [Results] The results of this study showed that static-dynamic balance ability, spatio-temporal gait parameters and quality of life were statistically and significantly different in Down syndrome children compared to typically developing children. [Conclusion] These results suggest that the balance and gait ability of typically developing children improves during growth, whereas those of children with Down syndrome remain low despite independent gait. Therefore, constant therapeutic intervention for balance and gait function is necessary after independent gait development in Down syndrome children.