The International Summit on Health Benefits of Physical Fitness for People With Down Syndrome: Current Science, Gaps, Priorities, and Research Opportunities
The summary paper reports on and highlights the scientific discussions and development process for new expert-recommended physical fitness guidelines for individuals with Down syndrome that occurred at the inaugural International Summit on Health Benefits of Physical Fitness for People with Down Syndrome (ISFDS). The Summit was a two-day event held in May 2025 at the Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston that brought together leading international scientists, clinicians, self-advocates, community services and industries, and local and national advocacy organizations to discuss the latest research, therapies, and collaborative opportunities in physical fitness for individuals with Down syndrome. Day 1 focused on the current state of the science and the identification of research gaps; Day 2 featured working groups dedicated to developing collaborations, planning future research, and creating expert clinical guidelines on physical fitness in children and adults with Down syndrome using a Delphi approach.
Authors
- Lauren T. Ptomey (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1705-1643)
- Thessa I.M. Hilgenkamp (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9882-163X)
- Lake Murray
- Bo Fernhall (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9393-3018)
- Mary M. Reilly (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0686-905X)
- Stephanie L. Santoro (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4172-0288)
- Véronique‐Aurélie Bricout (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3499-7016)
- Christopher Joyce (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8967-2425)
- Sarah Mann (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3138-8736)
- Katherine Pickard (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3783-9753)
- Don Keiller (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2718-2257)
- Kieran F. Reid (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9652-5319)
- Heidi I. Stanish (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6688-0109)
- Amit Das (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2834-3158)
- Pieter‐Henk Boer (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3622-2599)
- Nicolas M. Oreskovic (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8702-8636)
- Andrew E. Lincoln (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2345-3320)
- Gilbert R. Austin
- Joshua Tam (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1649-3888)
- Richard K. Fleming (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6406-4773)
- Dan Gordon (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3161-8984)
- Brian G. Skotko (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5232-9882)
- Lois Kelly
- Brendan Aylward
- Amy Torres
- Carolina Flórez
- Nashwa Cheema (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0001-1111-3444)
- Alexa Gozdiff Spognardi
- Hampus Hillerstromm
- Josh Komyerov
- Margot Rhondeau
Institutions
- Brigham and Women's Hospital (US)
- University of Nevada, Las Vegas (US)
- Harvard University (US)
- MGH Institute of Health Professions (US)
- Cape Peninsula University of Technology (ZA)
- Centre Hospitalier Universitaire de Grenoble (FR)
- Special Olympics (US)
- University of Massachusetts Boston (US)
- Massachusetts General Hospital (US)
- Rome Foundation (US)
- University of Kansas Medical Center (US)
- National Down Syndrome Society (US)
- Down Syndrome Research Foundation (CA)
- Anglia Ruskin University (GB)
- Université Grenoble Alpes (FR)
Publication Details
- Journal
- American Journal of Medical Genetics Part A
- Published
- 2025-09-21
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1002/ajmg.a.64256
- Citations
- 1
- Primary Topic
- Cerebral Palsy and Movement Disorders
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 1.47