Short rehabilitation training program may improve postural control in children with autism spectrum disorders: preliminary evidences

Abstract

Autism Spectrum Disorders subjects (ASD) is characterized by postural control deficits. This study aimed to explore the effect of a short postural rehabilitation training program on postural capabilities in children with ASD. Two groups (G1 and G2) of twenty children with ASD of IQ-, sex-and age-matched (mean age 11.7 ± 2.4 years) were included in this study. Posture was recorded by using the Balance Quest from Framiral on unstable platform in three different viewing conditions. The rehabilitation program consisted in two distinct postural control training exercises. Postural recordings were performed twice at T1 and T2 for both groups of children. Between T1 and T2 a 6-minute postural training was performed by the G1 group only, while the G2 group had a 6-minute of rest. Children were allocated randomly to the G1 or G2 groups. At T1, postural instability was similar for both groups of ASD children (G1 and G2) desp+\ite viewing conditions. At T2, we observed an improvement of postural control related to a mixed effect of training rehabilitation but also of test-retest. Knowing the potential of new rehabilitation strategies, the impact of postural control deficit in ASD children needs to be reconsidered. Well design case-control studies are requested to ensure scientific validity of postural rehabilitation training program. Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) are neurodevelopmental disorders characterized by social communication and social interaction deficits, associated with the presence of restricted, repetitive and stereotyped behaviors 1. Sensorimotor deficits as well as fine and gross motor skill impairment are consistently reported in children with ASD and correlated with the severity of social communication impairment 2,3. Sensory abnormalities are frequently the earliest identifiable clinical features of developmental trajectory impairments 4,5. Similarly to social communication deficit, motor impairments may represent core features of autism when considering a broader spectrum of symptom 6. Several groups measured postural sway in children with ASD and showed that affected children were significantly more unstable than children with neurotypical development 7,8. A larger surface area of the center of pressure (COP) was observed in children with ASD with respect to control participants 9-13 , associated with an increased COP velocity 10,11,14. Postural instability in children with ASD was also more significant when somatosensory inputs were affected, such as standing on an unstable platform with foams under the feet or when wearing a vibrating apparatus on the neck 7,13,15-18. All of these studies reported a significantly larger body sway displacement and/or faster sway velocity in subjects with ASD compared to peers with typical neurodevelopment. It was most likely due to a reduced

An Overview of the Available Intervention Strategies for Postural Balance Control in Individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder

“…So, supplementary studies with larger sample sizes and more comprehensive tests are needed to evaluate the efect of trampoline exercise on balance control in ASD. However, further studies are requested due to their small sample size [62].…”

“…The results have revealed an improvement in the postural balance of individuals with ASD (mean age of 11.7 years) after a short postural rehabilitation training program. However, further studies are requested due to their small sample size [ 62 ].…”

Сomprehensive restorative treatment of posture disorders in children with connective tissue dysplasia

“…Задачами амбулаторного этапа явились: создание охранительно-тренировочного режима и благоприятных условий для функционального восстановления позвоночника с социальной и психологической адаптацией больных, формирование мышечного корсета, профилактика осложнений ДСТ -сколиотической деформации грудного отдела позвоночника, остеохондропатий позвоночника, раннего ювенильного остеохондроза. При выявлении нарушений осанки значимым моментом реабилитации являлась разгрузка повреждённого сегмента позвоночника [6,37,38]. При наличии болевых ощущений купировали болевой синдром, рекомендовали обезболивающие мази, нестероидные противовоспалительные препараты.…”

From “one big clumsy mess” to “a fundamental part of my character.” Autistic adults’ experiences of motor coordination

“…In recent years, there has been increased acknowledgement within the research community that motor coordination difficulties are a neglected but potentially important aspect of autism [15,16]. Studies have begun to explore whether there are unique patterns of autistic motor behaviour that can be used in diagnosis [17][18][19], the possible mechanisms [20][21][22], the relationship with social functioning and autism characteristics [23][24][25] and potential interventions for motor difficulties [26][27][28]. However, research into motor coordination in autism is still at an early stage and it remains the case that motor coordination difficulties in autistic individuals are not routinely assessed, diagnosed or treated [6,29] and their aetiology is unclear.…”