In the United States, an estimated 500,000 people live with Down syndrome, which is an intellectual and developmental disability that is occurs at conception.
The National Down Syndrome Society defines Down syndrome as a condition where an individual has a full or partial copy of the 21st chromosome. Many people with the condition also experience heart abnormalities, creating further challenges for movement and exercise.
Shannon Ringenbach, a researcher at Arizona State University, has dedicated her entire professional career to helping understand how people with the condition move through the study of kinesiology.
“I love the science of research, but I also love the personal piece, and it has been such a joy to work with these kids and get to know them personally,” she said.
Ringenbach’s research uses a custom-made stationary bike called a PACT, or pediatric assisted cycle for therapy. The bike has a motor to help the research subject move faster than they could on their own.
Allan Earl and his son Patrick participated in Ringenbach’s research years ago and said that it quickly became one of his favorite things to do.
“He used to ask all the time to go on the ASU bike and the students treated him so well. It was one of his favorite things to do,” Earl said.
Earl met Ringenbach at an event with Sharing Down Syndrome Arizona, an organization that connects people with the condition and their families with resources and fun at their own pace.
The National Down Syndrome Society and the Special Olympics recognize October as Down syndrome awareness month, working to raise awareness of the condition, but also to educate different groups on how to include people with the condition in new spaces.
Ringenbach says she hopes her research will empower health care providers and educators to learn more about how to assist people with the condition and their needs.
Earl agrees, and says that while many people are aware of the condition, few are knowledgeable about how to include people like his son.
“It’s rare that people are mean to my son, but not a lot of people include him either,” he said.
Earl says that his son, like most children with the condition, learns visually or through demonstrations. Ringenbach found that in her research, the and hormones that were released through exercise helped improve the prefrontal cortex in the brain to make understanding some directions easier.
“I think they’ve learned a lot in the research but what I love is how much I have learned from them,” Ringenbach said.
Madeline Bates joined Independent Newsmedia in 2025 as a Phoenix/Tempe reporter. Before graduating college, she spent a semester in Washington as a Congressional reporter in the first 100 days of the second Trump administration. But local news is where her heart is. She is excited to be in Phoenix full time and exploring new parts of the city (as long as they have AC).
Community: After living in East Phoenix for two years, she fell in love with Paradise Valley, Mesa, Tempe, and everywhere in between. She recently discovered the beauty of the South Mountain Reserve and hopes to continue exploring should the weather comply.
Education: Madeline has a degree in Journalism and Mass Communications from Arizona State University’s Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and a certificate in Political History and Leadership.
Random Fact: She is a self-taught nail tech. No, she cannot do your nails.
Hobbies: Hiking (when its not 100 degrees), fiction writing, cooking, baking and trying new coffee shops.
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