ABSTRACT:
Down Syndrome (DS), is a genetic disorder well known for presenting physical and cognitive characteristics, with possible deficits in motor development. The present study aimed to evaluate the motor age in children with DS and point out which psychomotor categories showed higher deficits. The subjects of this study were seven children diagnosed with SD without associated pathologies. For evaluating the motor age, we applied Motor Development Scale (MDS) tests, which uses a set of tasks that culminate in a score, and subsequently classifies participants in relation to motor development. Because the participants were children with special needs, data were analyzed and tabulated separately. Results showed a that general motor development was much lower than expected for all participants at the same age. However, it was found that the fine motor development showed less impairment in most cases. Unlike temporal organization, body scheme and balance were considered much below the expectations for all children. Temporal organization was the poorest scored task. We concluded that motor delay levels in children with DS, although constantly present, vary according to the requested task and according to the individualities of each individual.
KEYWORDS:
Special Education; Human movement; Down Syndrome