Single-subject design study of 2 types of supramalleolar orthoses for young children with down syndrome.

Purpose: This study examined the effects of 2 types of supramalleolar orthoses on gross motor skills of young children with Down syndrome.

Methods: Two children participated in this prospective single-subject, alternating treatment design with 3 conditions: baseline phase with shoes but without orthoses (A), first intervention phase (B1), and second intervention phase (B2). The Gross Motor Function Measure was used to collect data on motor skills. The 2-standard deviation band method was used for data analysis.

Results: Both children demonstrated improvement, using the SureStep compared to shoes only, and 1 child also improved with the DAFO #4. Both families chose to continue using the SureStep at the conclusion of the study.

Conclusions: Orthoses for young children with Down syndrome continue to be the standard of care; however, research has yet to confirm the most effective type of orthosis or when developmentally to introduce orthoses.