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Updated: Feb 2, 2026

Experimental Methods to Study Human Postural Control
Published on: September 11, 2019
The effects of task constraints on postural control regularity in autistic children
Letícia Paes Silva1, Clarissa Cardoso Dos Santos Couto Paz1, Mariana Rodrigues Carvalho de Aquino1
1Graduate Program in Rehabilitation Sciences, School of Physical Education, Physical Therapy and Occupational Therapy, Department of Physical Therapy, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, MG, Brazil.
Aim:
Postural Control (PC) impairments in individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) are well-documented, influencing other developmental areas. Superimposing motor tasks on the PC can exacerbate these impairments and highlights the need to investigate PC in various contexts. This cross-sectional study aimed to explore the regularity of PC in autistic children under different task conditions.
Method:
24 autistic children, matched with typically developing (TD) children, were assessed for PC under three conditions: standing, sitting, and sitting while performing a fine motor task. The regularity of PC was evaluated using Multiscale Entropy.
Results:
Autistic children showed more regular PC than TD children across all tasks (p = 0.032). A significant task effect (p < 0.001) indicated that PC regularity differed across the three task conditions. However, no group-by-task interaction was revealed (p = 0.697), indicating consistent group differences across tasks. Planned contrasts confirmed these differences between ASD and TD groups for each task. Autistic children had lower entropy (more regular postural patterns), indicating more predictive PC and lower adaptability. It was also observed that all task demands affected the PC. The result suggests that PC in autistic children is influenced by the interaction among the organism's properties, the characteristics of the base of support, and the task goal, highlighting the need to consider these constraints when assessing or designing interventions for this population. These findings may help explain challenges autistic children experience in everyday motor activities that require flexible postural adjustments, reinforcing the importance of considering task constraints in functional contexts.
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