Clinical Trial: Postural Control During Walking and Standing Among Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder

Study Status: Not yet recruiting
Recruit Status: Not yet recruiting
Study Type: Observational

Official Title: Postural Control During Walking and Standing Among Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder

Brief Summary: Lately, many researchers have found that Children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) are most likely to have gross motor deficiencies such as lack of coordination in gait and balance. Much has been researched on etiology and motor learning, but only very few researches have examined and analyzed quantitatively gait and balance in ASD. The aim of this research is to analyze quantitatively balance, gait and balance during perturbation in children with ASD and to compare with typically developed children (TD). A group of 20 children diagnosed with ASD and a control group of 20 TD children will be recruited and tested in the laboratory with well-established measures of gait and balance function. They will be instructed to stand as still as possible on a force plate with different task conditions : (1) standing with the eyes open (EO) - standing upright viewing an "X" displayed on a screen 3 meters in front of them; (2) eyes closed (EC) - same as (1) with the eyes closed and covered by blindfolds (i.e. no visual information). (3) Same as 1 standing on foam (i.e., conflicting proprioceptive information). Gait will be measured using the narrow base walk test, modified for clinical use. Participants will be asked to walk within a narrow path 6 meters long . The statistical analysis will include Independent T-tests to compare the ASD and controls with respect to different characteristics. General Linear Model (GLM) will be used by applying a separate model where the dependent variables will be the average values of the postural stability or gait stability parameters (continuous) and the independent variables were categorical by the group and task condition.

Detailed Summary:

Study protocol The study group will be consisted of 30 ASD children (6-12 years old) who were diagnosed with ASD recruited in the Pediatric Neurology clinic at Soroka Medical Center, Beer-Sheva, Israel, and ASD centers. A convenience sample of 30 age-gender matched healthy control children (6-12 years old) will be recruited using ads and flayer in Beer-Sheva and area. Children's parents will sign the informed consent, in accordance with procedures approved by the Helsinki Ethics Committee in Soroka Medical Center. As part of the initial assessment all children including the control group subjects will undergo a complete neuro-developmental and motor screening evaluation by an experienced pediatric neurologist using the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-IV) diagnostic criteria Children with autism have to meet Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition (DSM-IV) criteria. ASD participants will have to communicate enough in order to cooperate and understand orders. Exclusion criteria are: ASD children who were diagnosed with neurological, orthopedic, or psychiatric diagnoses according to DSM-IV criteria that can affect motor control and postural stability; cerebral palsy; neuropathic diseases; limb fracture; head trauma during the previous year; use of any medication other than MPH during the study period; and who had an IQ score below the normal range (<70), as assessed by the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children - Revised (Wisc-R) administered by a child psychologist.

Recruitment procedure ASD participants will be recruited in the children neurology department at Soroka Medical center. Control group subjects will be recruited from the community using personal contacts using ads and flayer. The PI of this project (Prof. Zamir) will not be involved in the recruitment procedure of the children's under his clinical pra
Sponsor: Soroka University Medical Center

Current Primary Outcome: postural stability measures [ Time Frame: baseline ]

Original Primary Outcome: Same as current

Current Secondary Outcome: 6 meter Narrow Path Walking Test [ Time Frame: baseline ]

Original Secondary Outcome: Same as current

Information By: Soroka University Medical Center

Dates:
Date Received: October 18, 2015
Date Started: November 2015
Date Completion: October 2017
Last Updated: November 2, 2015
Last Verified: November 2015