Comparison of Posture and Gait Characteristics of Preschool Children with Autism with Their Peers

Abstract

Purpose: The aim of this study was to examine the posture and gait disorders of preschool children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and compare them with their peers without ASD. Materials and Methods: The study included 15 children with ASD and 10 children without ASD, aged 4-7 years. The level of autism severity of children with ASD was determined with the Gilliam Autism Rating Scale (GARS-2). The participants' spatiotemporal gait characteristics (gait speed, cadence, stride, and double stride length, single- and double-foot support, stance and sway phase duration, and foot landing angles) were assessed using an 8-meter electronic walking track with six repetitions (GaitRite 739P). In addition, equilibrium, and center of gravity measurements of the participants with eyes open and standing were performed by the Computerized Dynamic Posturography (Smart Balance Master, NeuroCom). Results: No significant difference was found between the research and control groups in terms of age, body weight and height (p0,05). No significant difference was found between the experimental and control groups in terms of spatiotemporal parameters of gait (p0,05). Although children with ASD showed more sway in the mediolateral direction, this difference was not significant (p0,05), while their equilibrium scores were significantly lower than their peers (p=0,026). No significant correlation was found between the autism severity and equilibrium & gait scores (p0,05). Discussion: Objective assessment with computer-based measurements to detect the presence of basic motor problems such as gait and balance that may occur in children affected by autism in the preschool period is useful for early intervention, and possible posture and gait abnormalities in children with more intense autism symptoms should be followed up at school age.

Keywords

• Autism
• Gait
• Posture
• Motor Skill
• Measuring

Okulöncesi Otizmli Çocukların Postür ve Yürüyüş Özelliklerinin Akranları ile Karşılaştırılması

Abstract

Amaç: Otizm spektrum bozukluğu (OSB) olan okulöncesi çocukların postür ve yürüyüş bozukluklarını inceleyerek OSB’li olmayan akranlarıyla karşılaştırmaktır. Gereç ve Yöntem: Çalışmaya 15 OSB’li ve 10 OSB’li olmayan, 4-7 yaş arasında çocuk dahil edilmiştir. OSB’li çocukların otizmden etkilenme düzeyi Gilliam Otizm Derecelendirme Ölçeği (GARS-2) ile belirlenmiştir. Katılımcıların uzamsal-zamansal yürüyüş özellikleri (yürüyüş hızı, kadens, adım ve çift adım uzunluğu, tek ve çift ayak destek yüzeyi, duruş ve sallanma fazı süresi ve ayak basma açıları) 8 metrelik elektronik yürüyüş parkurunda altı tekrar alınarak değerlendirilmiştir (GaitRite 739P). Ayrıca katılımcıların gözler açık, ayaktayken denge ve ağırlık merkezi ölçümleri bilgisayarlı dinamik postürografi (Smart Balance Master, NeuroCom) ile gerçekleştirilmiştir. Sonuçlar: Araştırma ve kontrol grubu arasında yaş, vücut ağırlığı ve boy uzunlukları arasında anlamlı farklılık bulunmamıştır (p0,05). Yürüyüşün uzamsal-zamansal parametreleri bakımından araştırma ve kontrol grubu arasında anlamlı farklılık tespit edilmemiştir (p0,05). OSB’li çocuklar mediolateral yönde daha fazla salınım gösterse de bu fark anlamlı düzeyde değilken (p0,05), denge puanları akranlarına göre anlamlı düzeyde düşük bulunmuştur (p=0,026). Otizmden etkilenme derecesi ile denge ve yürüyüş puanları arasında anlamlı bir ilişki saptanmamıştır (p0,05). Tartışma: Otizmden etkilenen çocuklarda ortaya çıkabilecek yürüyüş ve denge gibi temel motor sorunların varlığını okulöncesi dönemde tespit etmek üzere bilgisayar temelli ölçümlerle objektif değerlendirmek erken müdahale için yararlı olup otizm semptomlarının daha yoğun olduğu çocuklarda muhtemel postür ve yürüyüş anormallikleri okul çağında takip edilmelidir.

Keywords

• Otizm
• Yürüyüş
• Postür
• Motor Beceri
• Değerlendirme

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