Efeito da estimulação precoce na aquisição de marcha de crianças com síndrome de down

Abstract

Introduction: Down Syndrome (DS), or trisomy of chromosome 21, is manifested by different physical characteristics, including muscle hypotonia and ligament laxity. Due to these and other characteristics, the acquisition of motor milestones such as sitting, crawling and walking is usually delayed in children with this health condition. Therefore, early stimulation is essential to improve neural plasticity and facilitate information processing, thus promoting neuropsychomotor development. Objective: To identify the effect of early stimulation on gait acquisition in children with Down Syndrome. Methodology: This is a literature review. Searches were carried out between March and November 2023, in the LILACS, Cochrane and Pubmed databases, with the main descriptors being the following: “early intervention” “down syndrome” or “trisomy 21” and “physiotherapy”. Results: The initial search studied 529 articles, so that 4 studies were included. All studies addressed gait training on a treadmill as the main intervention, one added the use of a supramalleolar orthosis, and the other specifically as a parameter the physical activity of the trunk and lower limbs obtained from gait training on a treadmill. Conclusion: Early intervention appears to have a positive effect on the acquisition of walking in children with Down syndrome. The main intervention to be carried out in the first months of life indicated by the literature as effective for gait acquisition in children with DS is gait training on a treadmill.