Effect of Cognitive-motor Training Versus Pilates Exercises on Postural Stability in Down Syndrome.

February 23, 2026 updated by: Riphah International University

Effect of Cognitive-motor Training Versus Pilates Exercises on Postural Stability in Children With Down Syndrome.

The study will be randomized clinical trial. Data will be collected from City hospital, Mirpur AJK. Total thirty two subjects will be assigned randomly by using lottery randomization into two groups. Inclusion criteria for the study will include patients diagnosed with Down syndrome, age between 8 to 13 years, patient able to understand instructions necessary for intervention, independent standing and walking abilities. Patient with any heart deficit, visual or hearing disorder, mobility impairment and instability of atlantooccipital joint will be excluded. Group A will receive cognitive-motor training while group B will receive Pilates exercises. Treatment session will be of 8 weeks. Peadriatic balance scale and trunk control measurement scale will be used to assess postural stability. Measure will be taken at baseline and at the end of treatment session. The collected data will be analyzed in Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) 23.00.If data be normally distributed then parametric if not normally distributed than non-parametric.

Study Overview

Status

Recruiting

Conditions

Intervention / Treatment

Detailed Description

Postural instability or difficulty maintaining balance is a commom challenge in individuals with Down syndrome due to combination of hypotonia, joint laxity, delayed motor skills, sensory processing issues, cognitive and neurological differences, visual and vestibular challenges. In cognitive-motor training, both locomotor skills and object control exercises (dual tasks, dancing and rhythm games, reaction time exercises and puzzle game with physical exercises) will performed by participants. Pilates exercises includes bridging, hundred, single leg circles, alternate toe tap, ball wall squat will be performed by the participants. The aim of this study is to determine the effects of cognitive-motor training and Pilates exercises on postural stability in children with Down syndrome. The study will be randomized clinical trial. Data will be collected from City hospital, Mirpur AJK. Total thirty two subjects will be assigned randomly by using lottery randomization into two groups. Inclusion criteria for the study will include patients diagnosed with Down syndrome, age between 8 to 13 years, patient able to understand instructions necessary for intervention, independent standing and walking abilities. Patient with any heart deficit, visual or hearing disorder, mobility impairment and instability of atlantooccipital joint will be excluded. Group A will receive cognitive-motor training while group B will receive Pilates exercises. Treatment session will be of 8 weeks. Peadriatic balance scale and trunk control measurement scale will be used to assess postural stability. Measure will be taken at baseline and at the end of treatment session. The collected data will be analyzed in Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) 23.00.If data be normally distributed then parametric if not normally distributed than non-parametric.

Study Type

Interventional

Enrollment (Estimated)

32

Phase

  • Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Contact

Study Contact Backup

Study Locations

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Ages Eligible for Study

  • Child

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Patients diagnosed with Down syndrome.
  • Age between 8 to 13 years.
  • Patient able to understand instructions necessary for intervention.
  • Independent standing and walking abilities.
  • Both the genders will included.

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Severe mental retardation.
  • Any heart deficit.
  • Visual impairments.
  • Musculoskeletal or mobility disorder.
  • Hearing impairements.
  • Signs of epilepsy or instability of atlanto axial joint.

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

  • Primary Purpose: Other
  • Allocation: Randomized
  • Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
  • Masking: None (Open Label)

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm
Intervention / Treatment
Active Comparator: cognitive-motor training with baseline trearment of 45 minutes.
Gentle stretching and simple movements like arm swings, leg lifts, or walking in place. Breathing exercises to promote relaxation and focus.Cognitive: Engage in simple attention exercises, such as pointing to different colors, naming objects, or counting aloud while performing light physical movements, Balance and Coordination Activities, Dual-Task Training, Dance and rhythm games, Reaction time exercises and Puzzle games with physical activity.
Other: cognitive-motor training

. Warm-Up (5-10 minutes)

Physical:

Gentle stretching and simple movements like arm swings, leg lifts, or walking in place. Breathing exercises to promote relaxation and focus.

Cognitive:

Engage in simple attention exercises, such as pointing to different colors, naming objects, or counting aloud while performing light physical movements.

Balance and Coordination (10-15 minutes) Activities, Dual-Task Training (20-30 minutes)

,Combining Cognitive and Motor Skills. Throwing and catching,Dance and rhythm games,

Encourage dance movements while following a rhythm pattern. This helps with coordination and timing. Memory while moving,Reaction time exercises, Use visual or auditory cues (like clapping or flashing lights) to prompt specific movements. For example, when the light turns green, the child can move forward; when it turns red, they stop and name a color.Puzzle games with physical activity.
Active Comparator: pilates exercises with baseline treatment of 45 minutes.

Pilates exercises protocol:In Supine, Make circles with one raised lower limb in a clockwise direction and then in a counter-clockwise direction.Ball wall squat BridgeIn Crook lying position.Hundred. In Supine position, lifting the head, followed by lifting both legs 30 degrees with both knees flexed and then gradually with both knees extended.

Alternate toe taps. In Supine with 90 degrees flexion of both hips and knees. Alternate tapping of toes on the mat. Single leg circles Standing against a wall while a Swiss ball is in the lumber, Area Performing semisquat(1).

Intervention period will be of 8 weeks with 3 to 4 sessions per week
Other: pilates exercises

Pilates exercises protocol:

In Supine, Make circles with one raised lower limb in a clockwise direction and then in a counter-clockwise direction. Ball wall squat Bridge In Crook lying position, lifting the pelvis of the mat. Hundred In Supine position,lifting the head, followed by lifting both legs 30 degrees with both knees flexed and then gradually with both knees extended. Alternate toe taps In Supine with 90 degrees flexion of both hips and knees. Alternate tapping of toes on the mat. Single leg circles

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Pediatric Balance Scale
Time Frame: baseline,8 weeks
The Pediatric Balance Scale is a modified version of the Berg Balance Scale that is used to assess functional balance skills in school-aged children. The scale consists of 14 items that are scored from 0 points (lowest function) to 4 points (highest function) with a maximum score of 56 points.
baseline,8 weeks

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

Riphah International University

Investigators

  • Principal Investigator: FARAH NOREEN, MS-PT, Riphah International University

Publications and helpful links

The person responsible for entering information about the study voluntarily provides these publications. These may be about anything related to the study.

General Publications

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start (Actual)

October 29, 2025

Primary Completion (Estimated)

February 20, 2026

Study Completion (Estimated)

February 23, 2026

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

November 18, 2025

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

February 23, 2026

First Posted (Actual)

February 24, 2026

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

February 24, 2026

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

February 23, 2026

Last Verified

February 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

  • REC/RCR&AHS/FARAH NOREEN

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

NO

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

No

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

No

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

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