Independent mobility is a key driver of infant exploration, communication, and caregiver interactions, which all support overall development. However, infants with Down syndrome (DS) typically have significant delays in motor development which may have cascading effects on other domains, such as cognition and language. Early mobility interventions may enable earlier acquisition of motor skills and support development across domains, but additional groundwork is needed before advancing to clinical trials. Specifically, there is a need to identify outcome measures that capture meaningful developmental changes in infants and toddlers with DS, beyond what standardized assessments offer, and to conduct preliminary evaluations of mobility interventions. This symposium highlights research that addresses these critical issues. The first two presentations highlight the need for targeted interventions to influence these developmental pathways and the potential utility of measures from naturalistic play and language as alternative outcome indicators that capture developmental and intervention-related changes in children with DS. Paper 1 presents data that reveal differences in locomotion, object play, and communication development in infants with DS compared to typically developing infants. Paper 2 describes a comprehensive assessment of communication profiles of toddlers with DS that combines Natural Language Sampling with standardized assessments to provide a more holistic overview of communication delays in this age group. Papers 3 and 4 present findings from pilot studies on novel, infant-driven mobility interventions for infants with DS. Together, these studies emphasize the importance of tailored interventions and assessments to foster motor, communication, and cognitive development in children with DS.
Chair: Ashley Collimore, Boston University,
Second Chair: Jana Iverson, Boston University,
First Presentation: Trial Ready: Identifying Alternative Clinical Trial Outcome Measures for Infants with Down syndrome
Ashley Collimore, Boston University, Marie Canty, Boston Children’s Hospital
Anna Donato, Boston University
Erica Friedman, Boston University
Audrey Lorence, Boston University
Marc Maffei, Boston University
Katherine Pawlowski, Boston Children’s Hospital
Sydney Reynders, Boston Children’s Hospital
Nicole Baumer, Children’s Hospital Colorado
Jana M. Iverson- Boston University
Second Presentation: Characterization of Communication Profiles of Toddlers with Down Syndrome and Autism
Anna Stewart, Boston Children’s Hospital, Tanisha Chanda, Georgia Institute of Technology
Alexis Monk, Harvard University
Maggie Norberg, Boston Children’s Hospital
Katherine Pawlowski, Boston Children’s Hospital
Nicole Baumer, Children’s Hospital Colorado
Carol Wilkinson, Boston Children’s Hospital
Third Presentation: Treadmill and overground stepping in infants with Down syndrome: Developmental trends and caregiver perspectives
Christina Hospodar, University of Southern California,
Fourth Presentation: Harnessing Play to Support Development: Impacts of Partial Body Weight Support for Pre-Ambulatory Children with Down Syndrome
Heather Feldner, University of Washington, Alyssa Fiss, Texas Women’s University
Reham Abuatiq, University of Washington
Mia Hoffman, University of Washington
Julia Looper, University of Puget Sound