Determinants of fine manual dexterity in adolescents and young adults with Down's syndrome

• Published in: International journal of developmental disabilities Vol. 67; no. 6; pp. 439 - 445
• Main Authors: Chen, Chih-Chia (J.J.), Ringenbach, Shannon D.R.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: England Taylor & Francis 2021; Maney Publishing, Hudson Road
• Subjects: Adolescents; Age Differences; Body Composition; Body Height; Body mass index; Body Weight; Dexterity; Down Syndrome; Gender Differences; Individual Characteristics; Intellectual disabilities; Intelligence; Males; Manual dexterity; Motor ability; Motor control; Motor development; Neurological Impairments; Physical activity; Physical Activity Level; Psychomotor Skills; Purdue pegboard; Reaction Time; Sleep; Sleep disorders; Teenagers; Verbal Ability; Verbal intelligence; Young Adults; Purdue pegboard; Sleep; Intellectual disabilities; Motor control
• ISSN: 2047-3869; 2047-3877
• DOI: 10.1080/20473869.2019.1665783

To date, numbers of studies have indicated the important role of fine manual dexterity in typical and special populations. However, the relevant studies in Down's syndrome (DS) population is still limited. The purpose of this study was to investigate the determinants of manual dexterity in adolescents and young adults with DS. Thirty participants with DS (22 males, 8 females, aged 13-31) were screened by anthropometric variables (i.e. sex, chronological age, verbal intelligence, body mass index), levels of physical activity, and sleep disorders, and were administered the Purdue Pegboard Test and the Choice Reaction Time Test. Measures of correlation, t-test and multiple regression model were used for data analysis. It was indicated that sex and sleep-related disorders during the day explained 37.2% of the variance in the performance of the Purdue Pegboard Test. The additional of 9.7% can be explained the variance by adding reaction time test performance. Verbal intelligence had the negatively relation with the performance of non-Dominant Hand and Bimanual subtests of the Purdue Pegboard Test. This study suggested that sex, sleep disorder, and neuromotor function may be the important determinants of fine manual dexterity performance in adolescents and young adults with DS. In addition, the level of intelligence might also exert the effect on fine motor development in this population. In order to design effective interventions and optimize manual performance in individuals with DS, these possible determinants should be considered. Future research should be replicated with large sample size, different age groups, and validated measures of finger size, physical activity and sleep behaviors.