Foot preference in infants with Down syndrome: extrinsic and intrinsic factors

Abstract

During the acquisition process of the kick in infants, foot preference may be influenced differently by extrinsic and intrinsic factors. The aim was to compare the foot preference and find the influence of additional weight and Asymmetrical Neck Tonic Reflex (ANTR) on the foot preference of infants with Down syndrome and typical ones. Five infants with Down syndrome and five typical infants at three and four months of age participated of the sudy. The experiment was divided into four experimental conditions: Training, Baseline, Weight and After Weight. Infants with Down syndrome showed preference to the left or indefinite, the typical infants showed preference to the right. ANTR influenced the foot preference in both groups, indicanting that the rotation of head side oriented the kicking for the same side. For infants with Down syndrome the correlation between ANTR and kicking was positive, with a strong positive correlation at three months of age and a moderate positive correlation at four months of age observed. For typical infants it was observed weak positive correlation at three months of age and at four months of age, the correlation was not significant. Infants with Down syndrome have foot preference contrary to typical infants. ATNR influences the foot preference for a longer period in infants with Down syndrome compared to typical infants.