Oral motor weakness: a possible clinical marker for sleep-related difficulties in Down syndrome children — a preliminary study

Abstract

Abstract Background There is an increasing incidence of sleep difficulties in Down syndrome children. Identifying the clinical symptoms that are correlated with sleep difficulties for early diagnosis and treatment is critical. Aim To investigate whether oral motor weakness could be considered as an underlying factor for sleep-related difficulties in Down syndrome patients not previously treated with oral motor therapy to prioritize them for definitive objective testing. Material and methods The study included 45 Down syndrome children with and without congenital heart disease or hypothyroidism aged 2.5 years to 7 years without a history of prior oral motor therapy, adenotonsillar hypertrophy, and with an average body mass index. The parents were asked to fill in a questionnaire on sleep difficulties involving seven sections. The children were also subjected to 4 oral motor tasks. Results Symptoms of sleep-related difficulties were reported in 66.70 to 100% of the DS children. The highest percentage had severe oral motor weaknesses. There is no significant correlation between scores of sleep difficulties and scores of oral motor skills except for a significant negative correlation between scores of restless sleep and frequent awakening with score of Chewy Tubes. Conclusion The current study did not prove a significant correlation between oral motor skills and the symptoms of sleep difficulties.