Abstract
This study aimed to empirically assess the usefulness of a new and necessary practical daily living test (P-DLT) of individuals with Williams syndrome (WS: N = 21) and individuals with Down syndrome (DS: N = 18). It also aimed to compare P-DLT performance to that on standardised measures of daily living (Vineland Adaptive Behavior Scales, second edition; VABS-II; Sparrow et al., 2016) and motor competence (Bruininks-Oseretsky Test of Motor Proficiency, Second Edition short form BOT2-SF; Bruininks & Bruininks, 2005).
Both groups demonstrated impaired motor and daily living performance. Group differences were observed on the VABS-II and some items of the P-DLT (WS<DS). Associational analyses of raw scores demonstrated that motor ability was associated with the P-DLT, but not the VABS-II, for both groups. P-DLT and VABS II were associated for the DS group only.
We conclude that not all daily living skills are negatively impacted by impaired motor competence in WS or in DS, but that motor competence is strongly associated with many everyday tasks such as getting dressed, using a knife and fork, washing up and clearing up. This has implications for the potential for wide-reaching impact of training to improve motor competence, on independence for these groups. We also demonstrate that a P-DLT is a feasible daily living measure for use with populations with intellectual disabilities, and that it can help mitigate the effect of parent report bias.