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"The fun of research is getting into the data," Bev Ulrich declared with a grin. Clearly, then, this is the year she is destined to enjoy most, as she begins analysis of a pioneering study that may help infants with Down's syndrome.
The research team headed by Bev and Dale Ulrich (the married couple are associate professors of kinesiology at IU Bloomington), the parents of the 30 babies involved in the research and medical professionals who work with the infants are all looking forward to the results. Tony Mobley, dean of the School of Health, Physical Education and Recreation (HPER), said the study "has every indication of making a significant contribution to knowledge of child development and to assisting children with Down's syndrome."
Like most researchers, Ulrich avoids making projections. "It looks promising at this point, but there is no way to be sure until we have completely evaluated the data," she cautioned.
One thing, however, is certain: the timing couldn't be better. Field work for the four-year project will conclude this year, and thanks to Ulrich's appointment to the new Child Development Professorship in the School of HPER, she'll be able to spend next spring and summer conducting the analysis.
The school's first endowed professorship is part of a planned gift through the IU Academic Endowment Campaign, Mobley explained. "The president's matching program enables us to make this appointment and receive support for research and related activities."
Ulrich and her research team study a dozen babies at a time, visiting them in their homes. As babies outgrow the developmental stage being researched, new babies are added. The longitudinal study includes a complete evaluation of each infant, including family life, siblings, illnesses, and medical and development histories. It is, as Ulrich stated, "a rich data set."
The primary activity of the project is treadmill intervention in learning to walk. The babies are placed on miniature, carpeted treadmills, wearing velour socks. It is believed that the treadmill inhibits the tendency of these babies to step sideways, or "out-toe." The parents of the infants help them practice stepping, five days a week, to build strength and balance.
"Esther Thelen, an IU professor of psychology, was the first scientist to study treadmill stepping behavior in normally developing infants," Ulrich said. "The goal is to assist these infants to move in the same manner and in the same spatial area that are employed in walking; using the muscles and joints properly, standing upright and in the walking planes and posture."
By giving Ulrich the opportunity to devote much of her time to the research analysis, the new professorship also makes it possible for the results to become available much sooner -- first to professional colleagues and the babies' families, then to the public. "No one has done this kind of training with these babies," Ulrich conceded. "It will be interesting when the evidence is in."
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