Assessing Locomotor Coordination during Walking and Running in Children and Adolescents: A Systematic Review

We aimed to systematically summarize assessment methods of locomotion coordination of the lower limbs in children, and to discuss the influence of person and task on locomotor coordination. Two databases (PubMed, Web of Science) were screened, up to April 1th 2020. Five articles were included. Locomotor coordination was assessed in Typically Developing Children (TD) and children with autism in different domains of coordination, using angle-angle plots, planar covariance, continuous relative phase and point-phasing. In TD children: age influenced intersegmental covariance when walking, and stability of temporal and amplitude phasing when running. Intersegmental covariance was influenced by vision and walking speed. Phase relationship was not influenced by weighted walking in autistic children, nor in TD children when walking backwards.