Functional independence of Taiwanese children with Down syndrome.
Information regarding the functional strengths and weaknesses of children with Down syndrome is important for early intervention programmes and for agencies providing family support and educational services.



This study used the Functional Independence Measure for Children (WeeFIM) questionnaire for the parents or caregivers of 166 Taiwanese children (101 males and 65 females; median age 12y 7mo; range 3y 2mo-19y 1mo) with Down syndrome to assess their functional skills.



Out of a potential score of 126, the mean total WeeFIM score was 101.2. There was no statistically significant difference between the scores from the male and female participants (100.4 [SD 21.4] vs 102.4 [SD 24.7]; p>0.05). The mean scores for three domains (self-care, mobility, and cognition) were 45, 33, and 23 respectively (maximum of 56, 35, and 35 respectively). Performance was strongest in the mobility domain and weakest in the cognition domain. The total WeeFIM scores and 18 subscores for the three domains all positively correlated with age (p<0.05).



For children with Down syndrome, some support and supervision is required for cognition and self-care tasks. The WeeFIM questionnaire may be useful for identifying the strengths and limitations of children with developmental disabilities and their families.
Department of Medicine, Mackay Medical College, New Taipei City, Taiwan.|Department of Pediatrics, Mackay Memorial Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan.|Department of Medical Research, Mackay Memorial Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan.|Mackay Medicine, Nursing and Management College, Taipei, Taiwan.|Institute of Clinical Medicine, National Yang-Ming University, Taipei, Taiwan.
Hsiang-Yu
HY
Lin
Department of Medical Research, Mackay Memorial Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan.|Medical College, Fu-Jen Catholic University, Taipei, Taiwan.|Institute of Biotechnology, National Taipei University of Technology, Taipei, Taiwan.
Chih-Kuang
CK
Chuang
Department of Pediatrics, Mackay Memorial Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan.
Yen-Jiun
YJ
Chen
Department of Medical Research, Mackay Memorial Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan.
Ru-Yi
RY
Tu
Department of Medicine, Mackay Medical College, New Taipei City, Taiwan.|Department of Pediatrics, Mackay Memorial Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan.|Mackay Medicine, Nursing and Management College, Taipei, Taiwan.
Ming-Ren
MR
Chen
Institute of Clinical Medicine, National Yang-Ming University, Taipei, Taiwan.|Department of Pediatrics, Taipei Veterans General Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan.
Dau-Ming
DM
Niu
Department of Medicine, Mackay Medical College, New Taipei City, Taiwan.|Department of Pediatrics, Mackay Memorial Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan.|Department of Medical Research, Mackay Memorial Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan.|Mackay Medicine, Nursing and Management College, Taipei, Taiwan.|Department of Infant and Child Care, National Taipei University of Nursing and Health Sciences, Taipei, Taiwan.
Shuan-Pei
SP
Lin
D000203:Activities of Daily Living; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D019988:Children with Disabilities; D004314:Down Syndrome / Q000451:nursing* / Q000503:physiopathology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D012648:Self Care; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D013624:Taiwan; D055815:Young Adult