Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 26, 2026
Experimental Methods to Study Human Postural Control
Published on: September 11, 2019
Altered postural control strategies and sensory organization in children with developmental coordination disorder
Shirley S M Fong1, William W N Tsang, Gabriel Y F Ng
1Department of Rehabilitation Sciences, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hong Kong.
Insights
Children with developmental coordination disorder (DCD) exhibit impaired postural control, particularly when sensory input is reduced or conflicting. Their balance is significantly affected by visual and vestibular system deficits.
Area of Science:
- Motor Control
- Neurodevelopmental Disorders
- Sensory Integration
Background:
- Developmental Coordination Disorder (DCD) affects motor skills in children.
- Postural control relies on integrating sensory information (visual, vestibular, somatosensory).
- Sensory processing differences may underlie DCD-related balance issues.
Purpose of the Study:
- To compare postural control in children with and without DCD.
- To investigate the impact of reduced or conflicting sensory input on balance.
- To identify specific sensory systems contributing to balance deficits in DCD.
Main Methods:
- Utilized the Sensory Organization Test (SOT) to assess standing balance.
- Evaluated sensory organization and motor control strategies.
- Compared 22 children with DCD and 19 typically developing children.
Main Results:
- Children with DCD scored lower on composite equilibrium, visual, and vestibular measures.
- No significant difference was found in somatosensory ratios between groups.
- Children with DCD showed excessive hip sway when relying on vestibular input.
Conclusions:
- Children with DCD demonstrate impaired postural control under challenging sensory conditions.
- Visual and vestibular systems are more implicated in DCD balance deficits than somatosensory.
- DCD is associated with atypical motor strategies, like excessive hip sway, for balance.
Abstract:
The postural control of children with and without developmental coordination disorder (DCD) was compared under conditions of reduced or conflicting sensory input. Twenty-two children with DCD (16 males, 6 females; mean age 7 years 6 months, SD 1 year 5 months) and 19 children with normal motor development were tested (13 males, 6 females; mean age 6 years 11 months, SD 1 year 1 month). Standing balance, sensory organization and motor control strategy were evaluated using the sensory organization test (SOT). The results revealed that children with DCD had lower composite equilibrium scores (p<.001), visual ratios (p=.005) and vestibular ratios (p=.002) than normal children in the control group. No significant between-group difference in their average somatosensory ratio was observed. Additionally, children with DCD had lower motor strategy scores (swayed more on their hips) than the normal children when forced to depend on vestibular cues alone to balance (p<.05). We conclude that children with DCD had deficits in standing balance control in conditions that included reduced or conflicting sensory signals. The visual and vestibular systems tended to be more involved in contributing to the balance deficits than the somatosensory system. Moreover, children with DCD tended to use hip strategy excessively when forced to rely primarily on vestibular signals to maintain postural stability.
