Responsiveness and reliability of a pediatric strategy score for balance.
Various motor patterns or 'strategies' can be used to maintain balance. The purpose of this study was to determine the responsiveness of a pediatric strategy score (PED-SS) compared to a standard strategy score (SS) as a measure of age-related changes in the force patterns used to maintain stance. Eighty-one healthy children between 3-6 years of age were tested during stance on a force platform while facing a visual surround. The platform, visual surround (or both) moved simultaneously with the child's body sway. Four sensory conditions that altered visual and somatosensory (support surface) inputs were presented. The PED-SS was found to be more responsive to age-related changes in balance behavior compared to the SS. The oldest children (aged 5 and 6 years) showed the greatest ability to utilize horizontal A/P shear force to maintain stance and this finding was reflected only in the PED-SS. The implications of evaluating force strategy as one component of balance in healthy children is discussed with respect to the early developmental assessment of vestibular and developmental coordination disorders.
Di Fabio
R P
RP
Program in Physical Therapy, University of Minnesota 55455, USA.
Foudriat
B A
BA
D000367:Age Factors; D015982:Bias; D002648:Child; D002657:Child Development; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009048:Motor Skills; D026741:Physical Therapy Modalities; D004856:Postural Balance; D011187:Posture; D012016:Reference Values; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012678:Sensation Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D014724:Vestibular Function Tests