AN EXPLORATORY-STUDY OF RIGHTING REACTIONS FROM A SUPINE TO A STANDING POSITION IN ADULTS WITH DOWN-SYNDROME

Background and Purpose. Standing from a supine position is important f or physical independence. The purpose of this study was to determine t he developmental level of movement in this righting task of adults wit h Down syndrome. Subjects. Fifteen subjects (mean age = 37.6 years, SD = 18, range = 22-65) with a diagnosis of Down syndrome and mild to mo derate mental retardation participated in this study. Methods. Subject s were videotaped rising from a supine to a standing position during 1 0 repeated trials. The video record was analyzed to categorize the sta nding movements according to VanSant's descriptions. Results. Sixty-fo ur percent of the upper-extremity movements, 14.6% of the axial compon ent movements, and 33.8% of the lower-extremity movements could not be categorized according to VanSant's descriptions. Additionally, develo pmentally less advanced movements dominated those movements that could be categorized. Conclusion and Discussion. The great variety of movem ents demonstrated by these subjects in the task of standing from a sup ine position suggests greater motor maturity than is apparent from the movement sequences described by VanSant. Identifying appropriate stan ding movements in persons with Down syndrome will require weighing num erous intrinsic factors (eg, physiological and anthropometric) other t han motor maturity.