Evaluation of upper limb movements in children with Down's syndrome: A systematic review.

The aim of the present study was to perform a review of the literature on current quantitative clinical methods for the evaluation of upper limb movements in children and adolescents with Down syndrome, with a focus on describing the variables, protocols, motor function and motor control.

METHODS: A survey of PubMed, Scielo, BVS Bireme and PEDro databases using the following key words: upper limb and EMG and Down syndrome; upper limb and kinematics and Down syndrome; upper limb and motion analysis and Down syndrome; movement and upper limb and Down syndrome; upper limb and Down syndrome; reach and Down syndrome.

RESULTS: In all, 344 articles and five were selected to compose the present systematic review. No standardization was found among the studies analyzed with regard to data collection, data processing or procedures for the evaluation of the variables.

CONCLUSION: A kinematic evaluation is effective for the discussion of the results, but methodological differences among the studies and inconsistent results exert a negative influence on clinical interpretations and the possibility of reproducibility. The standardization of an upper limb movement evaluation protocol using kinematic analysis is important, as it would provide the basis for comparable, reproducible results and facilitate the planning of treatment interventions.