Mobility-powered home play to boost development in infants with Down syndrome
Official title: Harnessing opportunities for mobility and exploration (HOME): Creating mobility-supported home play environments to enhance development in infants with Down syndrome
Funded at Boston University (Charles River Campus) · NIH-11448039 · Data updated 2026-11-12
A home-based program uses a lightweight mobility aid to help infants with Down syndrome move, play, and learn at home.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Boston University (Charles River Campus) NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Boston, United States) |
| Project start | September 4, 2026 |
| Project end | May 31, 2031 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $697,186 |
| NIH project number | 1R01HD120575-01A1 |
| Project ID | NIH-11448039 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Infants with Down syndrome who are 8–24 months old and not yet walking, with caregiver involvement for home use of the mobility aid.
✕Less likely to help
Infants who are already walking or who have contraindications to home mobility devices may not benefit.
What this research studies
This project tests whether using the Portable Mobility Aid for Children (PUMA) at home for about a month helps infants with Down syndrome practice upright movement, play with toys, and interact with caregivers. Researchers will enroll 40 pre-walking babies aged 8–24 months and have them use the device for 30 minutes a day, five days a week, while observing them at six timepoints from baseline to a year after the program. The goal is to see if this mobility support is feasible in home settings and whether it improves gross motor skills, play quality, and environmental exploration. Results could guide how families support early movement and learning in DS.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, families could gain a practical tool to promote mobility and early learning opportunities for infants with Down syndrome.
How similar studies have gone: Prior work supports that mobility aids can promote exploration and early motor skills, but this is an initial home-based feasibility study in DS.
Where this research is happening
-
Boston University (Charles River Campus)
Boston, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Iverson, Jana M — Boston University (Charles River Campus)
- Study coordinator: Iverson, Jana M
Related research
Other NIH-funded projects on the same topics.
-
Exploring how Down syndrome affects optic nerve health in kids
A study using a mouse model to understand why optic nerve problems are common in children with Down syndrome and how to prevent them.
-
Executive Function Enhancement for Young Children with Down Syndrome
A caregiver-guided program for kids with Down syndrome aged up to 11 to strengthen their thinking skills during early childhood.
-
Silencing an Extra Chromosome to Help Down Syndrome and Related Conditions
A patient-friendly plan to use a gene-based approach to quiet an extra chromosome in cells and a mouse model to reduce disease-related effects in Down syndrome and other chromosomal imbalance disorders.
-
Infant Down Syndrome Brain and Behavior Study
A study of infants with Down syndrome to collect brain imaging and developmental data, creating a large, shared resource to understand how autism and other factors relate to development.
-
DS-ARC: Smartphone-based cognitive check for people with Down syndrome at risk for Alzheimer’s
A smartphone-based cognitive test is being developed and tested for people with Down syndrome who may develop Alzheimer’s disease, to track changes quietly in daily life.
-
Immune and NGF factors in Alzheimer’s for adults with Down syndrome
This grant studies why people with Down syndrome develop Alzheimer’s disease by looking at immune signals and nerve growth factor problems.
About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page.