In-Home Mobility Training With a Portable Body Weight Support System of an Infant With Down Syndrome.

Purpose: To report on the feasibility of an open-area, portable body weight support system (PBWSS) for in-home use and overground mobility training in an infant with Down syndrome.

Summary Of Key Points: The family used the PBWSS on average 4 days/week and for a mean duration of 27.9 minutes/day. Within sessions, the infant's mobility in the open area was greater with PBWSS assistance. The infant's mobility increased whereas variable trends were noted in the infant's motor, language, and cognitive development.

Conclusions: The long-term and frequent use of the PBWSS by this family provided opportunities to practice on emerging motor skills and exploratory actions that may have had a positive effect on her mobility and overall development.

Recommendation For Clinical Practice: High-dose, body weight-supported training on emerging motor skills is feasible in the infants' natural environments. Future studies using a large sample will quantify the effects.