Abstract
Background: Balance is a fundamental part of many movement tasks a child performs. Maintaining upright posture is a complex process involving multiple body parts and functional systems. Objective: This study aimed to explore the mean amplitude and velocity of the center of pressure (COP) displacements during static balance tests in children with and without disabilities. Methods: Participants were 34 children (age 8.5 to 10.8 years) including 6 typically developed children, 8 children with hearing, 8 children with visual and 12 children with intellectual disabilities. Static balance data were obtained in 15 s bipedal stance with eyes open and eyes closed, and also in 10 s unipedal stance. A force plate was used to collect data of COP amplitude in anterior-posterior (COPA-P), medio-lateral (COPM-L) directions and COP velocity (COPV). Results: Study outcomes revealed that all subgroups presented larger COP displacement and velocity with eyes closed (p .05). Children with intellectual and visual impairments presented significantly larger displacement in COPA-P and COPM-L in comparison with children with hearing impairment and without disability (p < .05). Conclusions: This study provided evidence of comparative outcomes on static stability assessment in elementary school children with and without disability. While in many test items children with disability did not demonstrate a significantly decreased level of postural control outcomes comparing to their peers without disability, the balance assessment should be used for early detection of dysfunction in children, so as to guide the application of appropriate intervention.
Highlights
Postural control is one of basics for most daily life activities in children
Participants The observed group consisted of 34 children with and without disabilities divided in 4 subgroups, (1) control group (CG) – 6 healthy typically developing children with no history of any pathology, (2) 8 children with hearing impairments (HI), (3) 8 children with visual impairments (VI), and (4) 12 children with intellectual disabilities (ID)
The center of pressure (COP) displacement was significantly larger in children with ID in comparison with VI in A-P directions (p = .047)
Summary
Postural control is one of basics for most daily life activities in children. It is the complex ability to maintain, achieve or restore a state of balance while a person is stationary, preparing to move, in motion or preparing to stop moving (De Kegel et al, 2011). Balance control is a fundamental prerequisite for the motor development of children that typically of postural stability abnormalities in children with disabilities may be biased by the influence of moderating variables, such as age, severity of impairment, daily physical activity level and other. According previous studies hearing impaired children with intact balance function and no other health problems can present motor and vestibular development similar to typically developing children (De Kegel et al, 2011). Several studies of postural control in children with visual impairment (VI) found that degree of vision loss presented insufficient relationship with the ability to maintain static balance (Houwen, Visscher, Lemmink, & Hartman, 2008; Juodžbalienė & Muckus, 2006). While in many test items children with disability did not demonstrate a significantly decreased level of postural control outcomes comparing to their peers without disability, the balance assessment should be used for early detection of dysfunction in children, so as to guide the application of appropriate intervention
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