Rehabilitation of patients with Down syndrome

Down syndrome is a genetic anomaly. It is determined by the presence of the forty-seventh chromosome. Every seven hundredth child is born with this syndrome, even if the parents do not have it. Does not depend on:

• The social status of the parents;
• their way of life;
• Nationality and skin color.

The diagnosis is made immediately after birth. Such children go to school, study well, help around the house. Down syndrome does not prevent them from mastering professions and playing sports. Difficulties arise in the process of child development, the speed of mastering the acquired knowledge and the formation of motor behavior suffer.

Traffic violations

        Children with Down syndrome develop more slowly than their peers. Movement disorders have a number of features that directly affect rehabilitation. Decreased muscle tone to varying degrees. All have muscle hypotension. For this reason, unnatural rectifying reactions and balance difficulties can be observed.

        Hypermobility in the joints is complemented by the instability of maintaining the position of the body in space. Rehabilitation of children with Down syndrome is complicated by the fact that it is difficult for them to stay in one position for a long time, quickly respond to requests, change body position and control balance. Violations affect the formation of:

• Gross and fine motor skills;
• The ability to transfer weight from one hand to another;
• Movement coordination;
• The skill of grasping or feeling an object;
• Holding and manipulating an object.

The arms and legs are proportionately shorter than those of non-disabled peers, making it difficult to develop the skills described above. This is due to the fact that all manipulations (stretching, holding) take place outside the field of view.

Physical Therapy and Skill Building

        In rehabilitation, it is very important to take into account the presence of pathological postures. Asymmetry and retraction in such cases are typical. Children cannot take their hands off the support, even when they notice an object of interest to them. Purposeful movement to the object in this position is not carried out. For a very long time, children with Down syndrome cannot maintain a sitting position on their own. They need support.

        It is better to take care of therapy immediately after the birth of a special child. Very soon it will be needed, and specialists in this field are rare. Proper therapy develops all basic movement skills to prevent the appearance and complication of pathological postures.

Purpose and initiation of therapy

        The main goal of initial rehabilitation is to form a level of control. The work of the head, trunk and limbs should become more coordinated. Soon after birth, therapy will be needed, which can be carried out independently under the supervision of a specialist or in accordance with his recommendations.

        In order to develop fine motor skills, a child with Down syndrome is laid on his stomach, observing and correcting head position, stability and the correct position of the shoulder girdle. The formation of such important skills as grabbing a toy in front of the eyes, stretching the palms to the feet is formed in a supine position on the back.

        The rehabilitation specialist builds stability and control of movements during rollovers and lying on the side. Here the ability to independently raise and lower the head, asymmetrically move arms and legs is important. Adequate motor activity develops in preparation for crawling.

        When the child gets older, you can increase the therapy, increase the number of checkpoints. In the sitting position, you can achieve the desired level of trunk control and balance, flexion and extension skills. In the same position, control over the stability of the shoulder girdle contributes to the proper development of the child's fine motor skills.

        Children with Down's Syndrome cannot learn the standing position as quickly as peers without disabilities. Adequate extension and flexion of the legs in the joints, the development of balance and balance - all this is possible with the rehabilitation of Down syndrome.

Features and difficulties of rehabilitation at an early age

        Early diagnosis and diagnosis will help to quickly get used to society and gain the necessary skills. Working with a child:

• Endocrinologist;
• Cardiologist;
• Pediatrician;
• Neurologist;
• Physiotherapist;
• Audiologist;
• speech therapist, etc.

The difficulty of rehabilitation at an early age is that such a child understands more than he can express in words. They need to be able to understand, communicate correctly and find contact, and not build a barrier. It is important to talk with the baby, read fairy tales to him, tell stories in order to develop elementary communication skills and improve the assimilation of speech patterns.

Many children with Down Syndrome attend regular kindergarten. There are difficulties in communication and transmission of information, but this does not prevent him from finding a common language with others. Rehabilitation specialists approve of this approach also because the baby begins to copy the behavior of children without violations and is better aware of his own body in space.

Development of vision, speech and hearing

        The speech development of such a child is affected by impaired hearing, which is very common. It is extremely important to develop the baby's vision, help in this:

• Gesticulation (expressive and active);
• Noticeable changes in intonation;
• picture cards;
• Cubes with images.

Naturally, this will not help much if the child has strabismus or strabismus, poor eyesight. But the specialist is able to implement the work of rehabilitation in this case.

Special children have sensory perception, but in some it is barely expressed, in others it is the other way around. Reduced sensitivity is reflected in the formation of speech, since the child is hardly aware of the position of the tongue and its movement. Hypersensitivity leads to unpleasant sensations not only in the mouth, but also in the process of dressing and washing.

Animal therapy as part of rehabilitation

        Communication with animals helps not only to cheer up and relieve stress. Animal therapy allows children with various disorders to learn to communicate with animals, interact with them, receive positive energy and emotions.

        Hippotherapy is one of the most popular ways to rehabilitate children with Down syndrome. Physical and psychological assistance in dealing with horses is provided. Children in the saddle learn to control their movements, keep balance and maintain balance. Riding reflexively engages all muscle groups, and for this it is not necessary to gallop. Communication with a horse helps to overcome fatigue, cope with pain, get rid of fear and stress.

        Canistherapy is cynology, treatment through communication with a dog. A child with Down syndrome easily finds a common language with dogs. After communicating with a dog, such a baby greatly reduces the level of stress and improves mood, anxiety and aggression disappear. He becomes less closed off. Now you can find various areas of canistherapy:

1. Diagnostic interaction;
2. Treatment through contact;
3. rehabilitation impact;

        Feline therapy is based on communication with cats. The purring of a cat has an amazing calming effect, reduces the hyper-reactivity of the child and increases his concentration. The level of stress and tension is reduced, the socialization of the child improves. The audiovisual exposure of cats is especially helpful for children with Down syndrome. The kid sees the animal, feels it tactilely, perceives the vibration and the sound of purring.

        Dolphin therapy has proven to be excellent, but it is often much more expensive. Interaction with dolphins has a powerful therapeutic effect. Parents notice changes after the first lesson. Verbal and non-verbal activity is strongly stimulated, the lack of attention is compensated. Self-awareness and self-worth are formed.

        Animal therapy cannot completely replace rehabilitation, but it is quite suitable as a supplement. Improved mood, laughter and smile of the child will be an additional pleasant bonus. It is important to exclude allergies before contacting a zootherapy center in order to avoid unpleasant consequences.

What should parents prepare for?

        Parents should understand that such children cannot be isolated from society. You have to go through a lot of difficulties so that he can attend a regular kindergarten, but it's worth it! Associated diseases are treatable if diagnosed as early as possible, but this will also require patience from the parents.

        Constant attention, care and love are an integral part of the upbringing and rehabilitation of a child with Down syndrome. Parents are often frightened, not knowing where to start, how to interact with a special baby, and what to do next. There are dozens of useful sites and forums, centers and specialists. Parents should not be afraid or ashamed to seek help, because early rehabilitation is much more effective.

        It will be useful to find a “support group” in the person of parents who are also involved in the upbringing and rehabilitation of a special child. There will be an opportunity to share experience, to find solutions to many problems. But it is extremely important to devote the maximum possible amount of time to the baby, to engage in its development. The results will bring great joy.

        Patience and care are two important components. A child with Down syndrome rarely gets it right the first time. It is necessary to show again and again how to do it right until the skill is fixed. Hypersensitivity can lead to a wide range of irritants, from bright lights to an overly scratchy scarf. This greatly affects the behavior, it becomes unrestrained, impulsive.

        Not all difficulties can be solved by parents on their own; it is better to engage in rehabilitation under the supervision of specialists. Up to speech correction by a speech therapist.

Visualization is the main principle of teaching children with Down syndrome. If mom or dad asks to bring a book, a toy and a basket, then most likely the baby will bring only one thing. This is due to the fact that his visual memory is more developed. Clearly pronounce the request and demonstrate the result, that's what will help parents.

Conclusion

        "Sunny" children need competent rehabilitation under the supervision of experienced professionals. Parents should give such a baby a lot of attention, show patience and care. Traditional methods give excellent results if rehabilitation is started in advance.

        Do not forget about animal therapy and that a child cannot be isolated from society. Parents have a difficult path filled with victories and defeats, but the results bring a lot of joy.