Gait control in children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Developmental Psychology
• Biomechanics

Background:

• Gait control in children with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is not fully understood, particularly concerning varied directions and stepping rates.
• Previous research primarily focused on forward walking at self-selected paces, leaving gaps in knowledge about complex gait behaviors.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate gait characteristics in children with and without ADHD under diverse walking conditions.
• To identify specific spatiotemporal gait parameters that differ between these groups.

Main Methods:

• Assessed gait of children aged 7-17 years with (n=17) and without (n=26) ADHD.
• Participants walked forward and backward on an instrumented carpet at self-selected and metronome-paced stepping rates.
• Utilized repeated measures ANCOVA to analyze spatiotemporal gait parameters.

Main Results:

• Children with ADHD exhibited an exaggerated 'toes out' foot position across all conditions.
• Backward walking in children with ADHD showed increased step width, cadence, and velocity.
• Greater variability in velocity, cadence, step time, and stride length was observed in children with ADHD.

Conclusions:

• Children with ADHD demonstrate significant gait deviations, including altered foot placement and increased movement variability.
• Findings provide insights for rehabilitation specialists to develop targeted therapies for gait deficits in ADHD.
• The study underscores the importance of assessing gait under varied conditions to fully characterize motor control differences.