Unusual development of motor skills in a child with trisomy-18.
A child with trisomy-18 is reported who had by the age of four years developed motor skills considerably more advanced than any abilities previously noted in other children with this disorder. It is not possible to demonstrate how far this improvement was due to natural development, to physiotherapy, to the parent's handling or to other causes. However, if the degree of parental understanding, stimulation and participation in treatment has a significant effect on a child's progress, then further attempts to assess the value of physiotherapy for children should take this factor into consideration.