Comparison of Running Gait Kinematics Among College Students With and Without ASD

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is a developmental disability associated with difficulties in social communication and the presence of repetitive behaviors. Along with social impairments, motor deficits can be identified as another characteristic associated with ASD. Although gait deviations have been looked at in children with ASD, not much is known about how gait deviations may persist in college students with ASD. PURPOSE: To compare running gait deviations between college students with and without ASD METHODS: Ten college students participated in this study. Five participants had a diagnosis of ASD (age 21.5±2.9 years) and 5 participants did not have an ASD diagnosis and comprised a healthy control (CON) group (age 24±3.5 years). Each participant performed 3 running trials over a 7.62 meter distance. Kinematic data were collecting using a 12-camera 3D motion capture system. Stance and swing phase time, and hip, knee, and ankle angles at initial contact and at toe off were extracted for further analysis. Variables were compared between groups using independent t-tests. As this is a preliminary analysis with a small sample size, significance was set at α≤0.10. RESULTS: Individuals with and without ASD had similar lower extremity joint angles at initial contact (hip 60.21±13.13° ASD, 53.60±16.07° CON, p=0.53; knee 37.10±12.40° ASD, 43.48±3.30° CON, p=0.36; ankle 17.66±4.89° ASD, 18.18±6.47° CON, p=0.90). The two groups also demonstrated similar knee and ankle angles at toe off (knee 24.51±3.86° ASD, 19.36±4.28° CON, p=0.11; ankle -15.74± 6.45° ASD, -13.22±10.32° CON, p=0.69), but the ASD group demonstrated less hip extension at toe off (2.97±1.07° ASD, -2.02±4.60° CON, p=0.07). The ASD group also demonstrated longer stance phases (0.29±0.03s ASD, 0.23±0.02s CON, p=0.02) and shorter swing phases (0.40±0.05s ASD, 0.47±0.05s CON, p=0.10) compared to the control group. CONCLUSION: The control group demonstrated more hip extension at toe off, which could suggest greater forward propulsion of the body. Greater propulsion is also associated with shorter ground contact times, and requires greater stability. The ASD group exhibited greater time in stance phase, and less time in swing phase, which could suggest potential balance deficits and less effective running patterns in college students with ASD.