Motor Competence in Individuals with Down Syndrome: Is an Improvement Still Possible in Adulthood?

Federico Quinzi, Giuseppe Vannozzi, Valentina Camomilla, Maria Francesca Piacentini, Florin Boca, Eric Bortels, Eva Kathrein, Adrian Magyar, Fabio Verdone and Paola Sbriccoli
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Federico Quinzi: Department of Human Movement and Health Science, University of Rome “Foro Italico”, 00135 Rome, Italy
Giuseppe Vannozzi: Department of Human Movement and Health Science, University of Rome “Foro Italico”, 00135 Rome, Italy
Valentina Camomilla: Department of Human Movement and Health Science, University of Rome “Foro Italico”, 00135 Rome, Italy
Maria Francesca Piacentini: Department of Human Movement and Health Science, University of Rome “Foro Italico”, 00135 Rome, Italy
Florin Boca: Romanian Karate Federation, 022103 Bucharest, Romania
Eric Bortels: I-Karate Global Federation—IKANDO, 3500 Hasselt, Belgium
Eva Kathrein: Karate Club Bregenz, 6900 Bregenz, Austria
Adrian Magyar: Hungarian Karate Federation, 1146 Budapest, Hungary
Fabio Verdone: Italian Karate Federation—FIJLKAM, 00122 Rome, Italy
Paola Sbriccoli: Department of Human Movement and Health Science, University of Rome “Foro Italico”, 00135 Rome, Italy

IJERPH, 2022, vol. 19, issue 4, 1-14

Abstract: In children, motor competence (MC) and the amount of physical activity are tightly interconnected. In adults with Down syndrome (DS), MC has been poorly addressed, resulting in a limited understanding of the possibility to improve MC over time. Here, we aim to: (1) investigate MC in adults with DS by comparing them with a group of typically developed peers and (2) verify the effect of an adapted karate program on MC. Adults with DS (DSG; n = 57) and typically developed adults (TDG; n = 21) performed the Test of Gross Motor Development version 3 (TGMD-3). The total TGMD-3 score ( TOT TGMD-3), the locomotor ( LOC TGMD-3), and object control ( OBJ TGMD-3) scores were computed. After a 40 week adapted karate program, DSG ( n = 37) underwent the post-training TGMD-3 assessment. Compared to TDG, DSG showed lower TOT TGMD-3 (DSG: 45.5 ± 17.3; TDG: 77.3 ± 9.5), LOC TGMD-3 (DSG: 22.2 ± 10.0; TDG: 36.2 ± 7.6) and OBJ TGMD-3 (DSG: 23.3 ± 10.9; TDG: 41.1 ± 5.6). After the training, TOT TGMD-3, LOC TGMD-3 and OBJ TGMD-3 increased by 35.6%, 30.0% and 40.7%, respectively. Our results suggest that MC acquisition does not evolve into a mature form in adulthood in individuals with DS. Moreover, a brief exposure to an adapted karate program induces an increase in motor competence in DS, even in adulthood.

Keywords: skill assessment; motor development; TGMD-3; karate; physical activity; adapted training (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
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