Underlying neurophysiological and biomechanical mechanisms related to postural control of children with Developmental Coordination Disorder differ from those in typically developing children

Abstract

Background

Although many studies have provided important insights into postural control in children with Developmental Coordination Disorder (DCD), relevant aspects remain unresolved.

Aims

To investigate the underlying mechanisms related to postural control in children with and without DCD during standing tasks, using global, structural, and spectral descriptors of the Center of Pressure (CoP) trajectory.

Methods

Sixty-eight children (9.88 ± 0.96 years) participated in this study, divided into two groups: DCD and typically developing (TD) peers. Participants stood upright on a force platform for 30 seconds, under different conditions of vision (open or closed eyes), and surface (compliant or firm). To compute features from the CoP displacements, global, structural, and spectral analyses were employed.

Outcomes and results

The main results showed that children with DCD (a) displayed higher variability and velocity of the CoP displacement than TD children (global descriptors), (b) needed more postural commands to control balance when compared to TD children (structural descriptors), and (c) used sensory inputs differently when compared to TD children (spectral descriptors). Moreover, the differences between groups of children and the effects of vision and somatosensory inputs were task- and outcome-dependent.

Conclusions and implications

Postural deficits in children with DCD can be traced to an action problem based on poorer prediction (structural results) and a perception problem of environmental changes (spectral results). Structural descriptors can assess functional stability and changes in anticipatory commands, while spectral descriptors may indicate (in)adequate use of sensory information, which can help to choose the content of tasks in interventions.