THE EFFECTIVENESS OF PHYSICAL THERAPY IN DEVELOPING THE BASIC MOTOR SKILLS IN CHILDREN WHO HAVE DOWN SYNDROME

Abstract

The research was conducted on a group of 5 subjects, clinically diagnosed with Down syndrome, of close chronological ages (4-6 years old). The Physical Therapy means were: therapeutic massage, dynamic kinetic techniques: active mobilizations, concentric isotonic contractions with manual resistance, eccentric contractions, inside and outside the contraction segment, proprioceptive neuromuscular facilitation techniques, therapeutic physical exercises. The analysis of the somatoscopic tests and the "Gross motor function measure" (GMFM) test results offered us concrete data with a reduced margin of error, because they consisted of simple, known actions that were implemented in children in the first stages of the basic motor skills development. The basic motor skills have developed after the application of a physical therapy program focused on increasing muscle strength, stability, and controlled abilities, because initially the subjects had muscle hypotonia, which is why they were not able to perform dynamic exercises, such as walking, running, and jumping.