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  • Postural Control in Preschool Children with Developmental Coordination Disorder, in a Sitting Position during a Functional Task
    Publication . Mercê, Cristiana; Catela, David; Branco, Marco; Fernandes, Orlando
    The developmental coordination disorder is a motor disorder (DCD) that affects 5-6% of school-agechildren (Vaivre-Douret, 2014). DCD children are a heterogeneous group which reveal several problems in their motor control and learning (Vaivre-Douret, 2014). Being the postural control (PC) deficit, which affects 73 to 87% (Macnab, Miller, & Polatajko, 2001) one of the most prevalent and conditioning. The present dissertation pretends to analyse and compare PC in probable DCD (p-DCD) so as to identify new clues for a most suitable intervention. For that reason, several conditions were selected incorporating baselines, and also a functional task to bring the study closer to children’s daily life (e.g. Mercê et al., 2016). P-DCD, at-risk and typical children (N=14, 3.9±0.2 years) performed the following tasks: i) remain seated; ii) idem i) with closed eyes; iii) observing the modelling of a plasticine ball; iv) moulding a plasticine ball; and v) idem iv) with closed eyes. In order to identify p-DCD children, a MABC-2 battery test (Henderson & Sugden, 2007) was applied to 46 children (3.9±0.26 years old, 25 girls and 21 boys) of three pre-schools in Rio Maior and São João da Ribeira. 2 children were identified as having p-DCD (4.4%), 7 children as being in the risk zone (15.2%) and 37 children as having typical motor development (80.4%). Being an idiopathic disorder which can result from various causes, namely from problems with sensory integration (Vaivre-Douret et al., 2011), the PC deficit may have an origin in their own process and the way it develops through time. To analyse PC, linear methods were used, which quantify movement, and also nonlinear methods which analyse the quality of movement and how it evolves through time (e.g. Deffeyes, Harbourne, Kyvelidou, Stuberg, & Stergiou, 2009). Data was collected by filming (240 Hz) and kinematic data (APAS) were analysed and nonlinear data, including measures of recurrence and Lyapunov (Matlab) for vertex, C7 points. P-DCD seem to be more dependent on external stimulus like visual information to auto-organize their own balance. The greater the complexity of the task, the fewer and slower their oscillations were but also more recurrent and periodic. Probably the problem p-DCD children present is not in terms of motor control, but on perception-action cycles’ effectiveness; on which stimulation should focus. Despite having oscillated more and faster in all conditions, and being tendentially more recurrent and periodic, at-risk children revealed a behaviour pattern similar to that of typical children in both points studied. The nonlinear methods can be used in PC study in DCD children, however, it’s crucial to find a more suitable data collection strategy for at least 2000 data.
    2017-09-11Master thesis Open access Show more