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Updated: Jun 2, 2026
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Behavioral Assessment of Hearing in 2 to 4 Year-old Children: A Two-interval, Observer-based Procedure Using Conditioned Play-based Responses
Published on: January 23, 2017
Attention demand and postural control in children with hearing deficit
Małgorzata Derlich1, Krzysztof Kręcisz, Michał Kuczyński
1Faculty of Physiotherapy, Academy of Physical Education in Wrocław, Poland.
Research in Developmental Disabilities
|April 13, 2011
Summary
Children with hearing deficit (CwHD) show poorer postural control and slower reaction times, especially in novel situations. This highlights challenges in development and suggests a need for targeted therapies.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Developmental Pediatrics
- Audiology
Background:
- Children with hearing deficit (CwHD) often exhibit impaired postural control.
- Understanding the underlying mechanisms is crucial for early intervention.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate postural control differences between CwHD and typically developing children (CON).
- To examine the impact of cognitive load and surface stability on postural performance in CwHD.
Main Methods:
- Center-of-pressure (COP) variability, mean velocity, and entropy were measured during quiet stance.
- Tasks included bipedal stance (feet together), dual-tasking (cognitive load), and varied surfaces (hard vs. foam).
- Participants were 29 CwHD and 29 CON.
Main Results:
- CwHD demonstrated significantly poorer postural control in the medial-lateral plane compared to CON.
- CwHD exhibited slower simple reaction times on a foam surface.
- CwHD allocated less attention to posture during dual-tasking, indicating higher cognitive resource demands.
Conclusions:
- Intergroup differences were most pronounced in novel and untrained tasks (e.g., foam surface, dual-tasking).
- These findings suggest difficulties in developmental progression for CwHD.
- Specific therapeutic interventions are recommended to support motor and cognitive development in CwHD.
