Manual Function in Down Syndrome

Abstract

Introduction. The manual function involves different skills such as strength, dexterity, precision and movement control that tend to interfere in the individuals' daily routine. The handgrip strength has been evaluated in the scientific literature as a unique possibility to quantify the manual function of individuals. However, people with Down syndrome (DS) have developmental changes, which tend to promote different data from their manual skills, which would make it difficult to assess using a single variable. Objective. To evaluate handgrip strength, manual functional performance and manual dexterity in individuals with DS, comparing them with a control group, and investigate the possibility of using handgrip strength as a single variable in the verification of hand function in Down syndrome. Method. Thirty individuals with DS and 30 without developmental change, aged from 11 to 14 years old, who were evaluated by the Jamar® dynamometer, the Jebsen-Taylor Manual Function Test and the Box and Blocks Test, participated in this study. Results. It was noted in all tests an inferior performance of the DS group when compared to the control group, with no differentiation in performance between the preferred hand and the non-preferred hand, with a positive correlation between the variables handgrip strength and task of stack checkers of the Jebsen-Taylor test. Conclusion. Individuals with Down syndrome have a lower manual performance than the healthy population. The use of handgrip strength as the only variable for measuring manual function in DS needs to be better studied.