Factors of walking speed in persons with intellectual disabilities

This study was conducted to investigate the factors influencing the walking speed in persons with intellectual disabilities (ID). The subjects were 181 persons with ID (male, 126; female, 55; 14 persons with autism; 22 with Down's Syndrome (DS)). The subjects were asked to walk on a straight 14- meter-long walkway with a flat floor at their preferred speed (PSW) and then at their maximum speed (MSW). They were asked to walk as fast as possible twice and the walk at the higher speed was designated as the MSW. The walking time in the middle of the walkway, 2 to 12 meters from the start, was measured by a stopwatch, to calculate the walking speed (m/sec). Stepwise multiple regression analysis was used. The dependent variables used were the PSW and the MSW, and the independent variables were the sex, age, height, weight, IQ, presence/absence of autism, and presence/absence of DS. The results were as follows: (1) The PSW was only related to the presence/absence of DS; persons with DS walked more slowly than persons with the other IDs. (2) The MSW was related to the IQ and the presence/absence of DS. Persons with higher IQ walked faster than those with a lower IQ, and persons with DS walked more slowly than persons with other IDs. These characteristics of the walking speed in persons with DS were discussed in terms of the motor dysfunction and compensatory strategies.