Down syndrome is one of the most common developmental disorders that involves intellectual disability. The development of Down syndrome’s children is affected by the occurrence of extra information in chromosome 21 with abnormal gene expression that results in certain changes in brain function.

The comprehensive variations in the development process affect behavioral, language, motor, autonomy, cognitive and social phenotypes. The cognitive development of children with Down syndrome is characterized with restricted mental ability and struggle in processing the information. Intellectual shortfall scan cause changes in attention, language acquisition, memory and other mental abilities. Children with Down syndrome have a delay in motor development also. Generalized hypotonia with ligamentous hyperlaxity affect motor development significantly as these conditions impair movements and the preservation of postures.

The main objective of the study is to determine the short-term effects of baby massage on the development of babies with Down syndrome.

The study conducted the comparison of two groups (intervention and control), with 16 babies of Down syndrome in between 4 and 8 months old. Variables such as developmental age and developmental quotient were evaluated at two different time points, at pre-test and 5 weeks later. It was measured with Brunet-Lézine Early Childhood Psychomotor Development revised scale. It measures the variables of age and development quotient in a fractional way i.e. motor, language, visual-motor coordination and social development and also in a global way. The intervention group received infant massage, every day for at least 10 minutes for 5 weeks, applied by the parents. The massage protocol was based on the method that was created by Vimala McClure. The control group received infant massage after 5 weeks.

Overall, the developmental variables were significantly improved in the intervention group and not in the control group. A significant difference in developmental age was observed between the two groups, and the result was better in the intervention group (p < 0.001). The 2-by-2 mixed-model study of variance specifies that a significant group-by-time interaction for all development quotients, both partial and global (p < 0.001) and was significantly higher in the intervention group as compared to the control group.

Thus, the study concluded that infant massage therapy can improve the development of babies with Down syndrome in the short span.

Source: Pinero-Pinto E, Benítez-Lugo ML, Chillón-Martínez R, et al. Effects of Massage Therapy on the Development of Babies Born with Down Syndrome. Evid Based Complement Alternat Med. 2020;2020:4912625. Published 2020 May 6. doi:10.1155/2020/4912625