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Tiny Treadmills Vs. Down
Syndrome Babies
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| Posted: Oct 31st 2007 by
Lonna Jordan |
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Remembering your child's first step is a
memory not long forgotten. It is a critical milestone of your baby's
childhood and marks the beginning of many other developments in their
life. I can remember 25 years later the day my daughter crawled and the
day she took her first steps.
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But for most parents with babies who have
Down syndrome, this precious delight comes much later. While healthy
children start walking between the ages of 10 and 14 months of age, children
with Down syndrome start walking around the age of 2 years.
Down syndrome is a genetic disorder marked by
both mental and physical impairment such as hearing and vision problems and
poor muscle tone. Delays in motor skills begin early like turning over,
standing and walking to name only a few of the problems.
Studies show that a new very
small miniature motorized treadmill is being used to help Down syndrome
children learn to walk up to 4 months earlier. The infants, ranging in age
from 10 to 11 months, used the device for 8 minutes a day, 5 days per week,
from the time the baby was able to sit on their own until they walked
independently.
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As they begin to learn new motor skills and
their walking improves, other developmental milestones start to occur.
Communication begins to be stimulated as they look to mom or dad for
signals. Cognitive kinds of skills begin to develop as they are able to hold
and manipulate objects around them.
These results provide evidence that, with
training and support, parents will soon be able to rent these tiny
treadmills and use them in their homes to help their infants with Down
syndrome.
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