Early developmental assessment in children with typical development and Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy

This Phd Project will focus on the assessment of early development in typically developing (TD) children and in infants and young boys with DMD.

First, the different early developmental domains (motor, language, cognition, adaptive behavior and social emotional state) will be evaluated in typically developing children. Generic evaluation instruments as well as more specific tools developed for children with Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy (DMD) will be used. DMD is the most common form of muscular dystrophy in children and is characterized by a mutation of the dystrophin gene. The period before the age of 5 is often called the ‘pre-symptomatic’ stage, multiple studies have shown that the first signs and symptoms of DMD arise much earlier as from 8 months. DMD is primarily known for its impact on the motor domain, however this disorder is also associated with cognitive, language and behavioral deficits. Little research has focused on early development of the young DMD population. Therefore, this research project aims to map the different early developmental domains in infants and young boys with DMD.