Grip strength and manual dexterity in Down Syndrome children

Children with Down Syndrome (DS) present delays in motor skills acquisition compared to those with normal development, which may interfere in activities such as grip strength and manual dexterity. The evaluation of these activities can provide performance indicators in daily activities. The objective was to analyze the correlation between grip strength and manual dexterity in children with DS and healthy children aged 7 to 9 years old. Twenty-six children with DS, of both genders, who formed the DS Group, and 30 healthy ones, constituting the Control Group (CG) participated in this study. The grip strength evaluation was performed with the Jamar dynamometer and manual dexterity through the Box and Block Test. The DS Group presented a lower performance in both grip strength and in manual dexterity compared to CG. There was no significant correlation between grip strength and manual dexterity in the DS Group, but in the CG there was it. There was no difference in performance between genders for the items assessed in the two groups; performance on tests of grip strength and manual dexterity in the CG showed an evolution in the course of aging, in the DS Group these developments did not happen. It is concluded that differences were found in the performance of the two groups, indicating peculiar characteristics to DS. Further investigation must be done on these data, since they can contribute to the identification of objectives to be considered in stimulation programs.