Balance Recovery Strategy in Children With and Without Hearing or Visual Impairments

Area of Science:

• Biomechanics
• Developmental Pediatrics
• Motor Control

Background:

• Balance recovery is crucial for preventing falls, especially in children with sensory impairments.
• Understanding the specific strategies employed by children with hearing impairments (HI) and visual impairments (VI) is essential for targeted interventions.
• Previous research has not fully elucidated the distinct balance recovery mechanisms in these pediatric populations.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate and compare the balance recovery strategies in children with HI and VI against a control group.
• To analyze differences in kinematic data during static and perturbed balance conditions.

Main Methods:

• Cross-sectional study involving 45 children aged 9-13 years, stratified into HI, VI, and comparison groups.
• Three-dimensional lower body kinematic data captured using a Vicon system during static and post-perturbation balance tasks.
• Repeated-measures ANOVA (3x2, Group x Condition) used for data analysis with significance set at p ≤ .05.

Main Results:

• No significant difference in ankle joint sway in the static condition across groups.
• Children with VI showed greater hip joint sway compared to comparison (p = .001) and HI (p = .02) groups.
• In the after-perturbation condition, VI children exhibited greater hip and ankle sway than HI and comparison groups (p = .001) for balance restoration.

Conclusions:

• Children with visual impairments and typically developing children predominantly use a hip strategy for balance.
• Children with hearing impairments appear to utilize an ankle strategy for maintaining and restoring balance, distinct from the other groups.
• These findings highlight unique sensorimotor adaptations in children with HI and VI, informing tailored rehabilitation approaches.