Dual-Task Interference in Children with Down Syndrome and Chronological and Mental Age-Matched Healthy Controls

On the assumption that motor actions result from the interaction between cognitive, perceptual, and neurological mechanisms, neuromotor dysfunction-such as in children with Down Syndrome (DS)-is expected to affect the central coordination processes required for dual-task (DT) performance. There are few dual-task (DT) studies in individuals with DS, so the current study examined the effects of dual-tasking (DT) on walking performance in children with DS.

In this study, a motor-cognitive DT was used in 12 children with DS (10.5 ± 1.08 years, 6 female), 12 typically developed (TD) children with the same mental age (TD-MA: 5.98 ± 1.21 years, 6 female), and 12 with the same chronological age (TD-CA: 10.5 ± 1.07 years, 6 female). Children were asked to enumerate animals for one minute while walking straight ahead.

All groups showed lower performances under the DT condition than the single-task (ST) condition. Children with DS appear to have the most difficulties in motor and cognitive tasks and ST- and DT-conditions. Concerning the DT costs (DTC), difficulties were mainly observed with the motor task, with motor DTC being greater than cognitive DTC.

The interplay of different systems seems to play a crucial role in walking, especially in children with DS. DT walking paradigms with directional changes are recommended for future studies, as this is more appropriate for the everyday demands of children.