Orthotic Use and Down Syndrome

A single subject, alternating treatment design was used to analyze the effectiveness of two different supramalleolar orthotics.  Two children with Down syndrome each participated in three phases: without orthotics, SureStep orthotic and the DAFO #4 orthotic.  Using the Gross Motor Function Measure, results indicated improvements in both children with the SureStep orthotic and child #1 also showed improvements with the DAFO #4.  After the study was completed, both families continued with the SureStep.

The researchers concluded that additional research needs to be conducted to determine the most effective orthotics and what age should the orthotics be introduced.

Reference: Tamminga, Janna S.; Martin, Kathy S.; Miller, Ellen W. Single-Subject Design Study of 2 Types of Supramalleolar Orthoses for Young Children With Down Syndrome. Pediatric Physical Therapy. 24(3):278-284, Fall 2012. doi: 10.1097/PEP.0b013e31825c8257