Researchers at University of Michigan's Division of Kinesiology asked parents of 30 Down syndrome babies to help them walk on a treadmill for eight minutes a day, five days a week.
They were assigned lower intensity, generalized treadmill training, or high intensity, individualized treadmill training. The training supplemented traditional therapies.
After the infant could take 10, 20, and 30 steps per minute, intensity was gradually increased for half the infants. High intensity training included increasing speed and duration and adding ankle weights.
Their findings show that those infants who had received high intensity training started walking sooner over the course of the training period and attained most of the motor milestones at an earlier mean age.
According to Agence France-Presse, study lead Professor Dale Ulrich believes that by walking sooner, these infants can improve their social skills, motor skills, perception and spatial cognition.
"The key is if we can get them to walk earlier and better then they can explore their environment earlier and when you start to explore, you learn about the world around you. Walking is a critical factor in development in every other domain."
Babies without development problems start walking around 12 months. Those with Down syndrome do not learn to walk till they are 24-48 months.
The adapted treadmill costs about $1,200. Ulrich hopes hospitals and health organizations will rent them easily to parents with Down syndrome infants.
