Down syndrome, like most things, flourishes with the right attention. In terms of therapy, this includes a multidisciplinary approach. As each of these Allied Health specialties has their roots in medicine, it may seem to the uninitiated that they have their own language. For our second Therapy Thursday I thought I'd define some of the most common terms that one would run into. It always helps to know the language of the place you are visiting.
First, there are the disciplines:
Occupational Therapy: Promotes the learning and strengthening of specific skills that aid an individual with the activities of daily living.
Recreational Therapy: Promotes well-being and the reduction of stress and anxiety by providing recreational activities. This also promotes socialization.
Physical Therapy (or Physiotherapy): Promotes optimum physical movement and co-ordination with a focus on preventative care.
Speech Therapy: Promotes clearer, more expressive and understandable speech
Some important terms relating to Down syndrome and their relevance:
Hypotonia: Weak or low muscle tone. The muscles also have reduced endurance.
Impact: Infants with hypotonia have difficulty learning to breast or bottle feed as they are unable to maintain a proper latch and tire easily. Later there will be a delay in both gross and fine motor skills as well as significant delays in holding the head up (for example) and the ability to sit, crawl, stand, etc. Hypotonia also has an impact on learning to eat and swallow solids as well as learning to speak. It is important that those with hypotonia learn to use the correct muscles for movement as compensation often occurs (by using other muscles instead), leading to chronic discomfort and the underdevelopment of key muscle groups.
Hypermobility or Hyperflexablility: joints that bend farther than normal.
Impact: Much like weak muscles, the ligaments are tend to be looser in those with Down syndrome which creates joints that flex farther than normal. Hypermobile joints tend to interfere with the normal physical development and can cause chronic pain later in life.
Macroglossia: an "enlarged" tongue.
Impact: An enlarged tongue interferes with all aspects of eating, swallowing and speech acquisition. It can also interfere with sleep and with enlarged tonsils and hypotonia, contribute to sleep apnea.
Receptive Language: The ability for an individual to comprehend the language that is spoken or signed to them
Impact: This can cause difficulties in learning, social interactions and communication.
Expressive Language: The ability for an individual to express their thoughts and feelings in a verbal, sign or written form.
Impact: This can cause disturbances in learning patterns, limit social interactions, communication and is frequently a source of frustration for the individual.
Oral-Motor: That pertaining to the functionality of the anatomy and muscles of the mouth, lips, tongue and face.
Impact: Many aspects of life, including speech and eating.
Gross Motor Skills: The ability to use the larger groups of muscles. This starts with the development of posture and continues on to include sitting, standing and walking.
Impact: Improper use of these muscle groups will affect movement and comfort for the individual for the duration of their life.
Fine Motor Skills: The ability to use the smaller groups of muscles, mainly those in the hand in tandem with eye movements.
Impact: Any motion or skill that requires successfully grasping and/or picking up an object
Activities of Daily Living (ADL's): Everyday self care activities such as feeding one's self, brushing teeth, getting dressed, etc.
Impact: Directly dictates the level of independence an individual has.
Range of Motion: The extent a limb or joint can comfortably move. Active Range of Motion is the extent that the person can move themselves, while Passive Range of Motion is the extent of movement when it is manipulated by another person.
Impact: This directly impacts levels of movement and comfort.
First, there are the disciplines:
Occupational Therapy: Promotes the learning and strengthening of specific skills that aid an individual with the activities of daily living.
Recreational Therapy: Promotes well-being and the reduction of stress and anxiety by providing recreational activities. This also promotes socialization.
Physical Therapy (or Physiotherapy): Promotes optimum physical movement and co-ordination with a focus on preventative care.
Speech Therapy: Promotes clearer, more expressive and understandable speech
Some important terms relating to Down syndrome and their relevance:
Hypotonia: Weak or low muscle tone. The muscles also have reduced endurance.
Impact: Infants with hypotonia have difficulty learning to breast or bottle feed as they are unable to maintain a proper latch and tire easily. Later there will be a delay in both gross and fine motor skills as well as significant delays in holding the head up (for example) and the ability to sit, crawl, stand, etc. Hypotonia also has an impact on learning to eat and swallow solids as well as learning to speak. It is important that those with hypotonia learn to use the correct muscles for movement as compensation often occurs (by using other muscles instead), leading to chronic discomfort and the underdevelopment of key muscle groups.
Hypermobility or Hyperflexablility: joints that bend farther than normal.
Impact: Much like weak muscles, the ligaments are tend to be looser in those with Down syndrome which creates joints that flex farther than normal. Hypermobile joints tend to interfere with the normal physical development and can cause chronic pain later in life.
Macroglossia: an "enlarged" tongue.
Impact: An enlarged tongue interferes with all aspects of eating, swallowing and speech acquisition. It can also interfere with sleep and with enlarged tonsils and hypotonia, contribute to sleep apnea.
Receptive Language: The ability for an individual to comprehend the language that is spoken or signed to them
Impact: This can cause difficulties in learning, social interactions and communication.
Expressive Language: The ability for an individual to express their thoughts and feelings in a verbal, sign or written form.
Impact: This can cause disturbances in learning patterns, limit social interactions, communication and is frequently a source of frustration for the individual.
Oral-Motor: That pertaining to the functionality of the anatomy and muscles of the mouth, lips, tongue and face.
Impact: Many aspects of life, including speech and eating.
Gross Motor Skills: The ability to use the larger groups of muscles. This starts with the development of posture and continues on to include sitting, standing and walking.
Impact: Improper use of these muscle groups will affect movement and comfort for the individual for the duration of their life.
Fine Motor Skills: The ability to use the smaller groups of muscles, mainly those in the hand in tandem with eye movements.
Impact: Any motion or skill that requires successfully grasping and/or picking up an object
Activities of Daily Living (ADL's): Everyday self care activities such as feeding one's self, brushing teeth, getting dressed, etc.
Impact: Directly dictates the level of independence an individual has.
Range of Motion: The extent a limb or joint can comfortably move. Active Range of Motion is the extent that the person can move themselves, while Passive Range of Motion is the extent of movement when it is manipulated by another person.
Impact: This directly impacts levels of movement and comfort.
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