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Movement Strategies During Balance Tasks in Children With and Without Developmental Coordination Disorder

Case-Control Research of the Movement Strategies Used During Balance Tasks in Children With and Without Developmental Coordination Disorder

Status
Recruiting
Phases
NA
Study type
Interventional
Source
ClinicalTrials.gov
Registry ID
NCT06802094
Enrollment
50
Registered
2025-01-30
Start date
2025-08-18
Completion date
2027-08-31
Last updated
2025-09-16

For informational purposes only — not medical advice. Sourced from public registries and may not reflect the latest updates. Terms

Conditions

Development Coordination Disorder, Typical Developed Children

Keywords

Postural control, Movement strategies, Brain activity, Postural balance [Mesh], Pediatrics [Mesh], Motor Skills Disorders [Mesh]

Brief summary

The main objective of the study is to gain insights in how children learn a balance task and whether there is a difference between children with and without Developmental Coordination Disorder. Furthermore, the investigators are interested in the brain activity of these children while learning this new balance task.

Interventions

OTHERSingle-session balance intervention in virtual reality

Single-session balance intervention (30 minutes) in a virtual reality environment, the Gait Real-time analysis Interactive Lab (GRAIL) or the Computer Assisted Rehabilitation Environment (CAREN) in children with and without Developmental Coordination Disorder (Motek Medical, The Netherlands).

Sponsors

Hasselt University
Lead SponsorOTHER

Study design

Allocation
NA
Intervention model
SINGLE_GROUP
Primary purpose
OTHER
Masking
NONE

Intervention model description

Case-control study (Children with and without Developmental Coordination Disorder) with a follow-up measurement for retention and transfer after one week.

Eligibility

Sex/Gender
ALL
Age
7 Years to 12 Years
Healthy volunteers
Yes

Inclusion criteria

For children with DCD * Children with the clinical diagnosis of Developmental Coordination Disorder (DCD) based on criteria of the DSM-5 (APA, 2013), diagnosed by a pediatrician. * Children who have no formal diagnosis are evaluated by the research team using the diagnostic criteria as outlined in the inclusion criteria, these children will be included as suspected of having DCD * Balance problems need to be present and objectified with the Balance Evaluation Systems Test for Children, second edition (Kids-BESTest-2). (total score below 80%) For children without DCD * Total score at or below the 25th percentile on the Movement Assessment Battery for children, second edition * Normal postural control, objectified by the Kids-BESTest-2 (score at or above 80%) * Match with children with DCD based on their sex, age and potential comorbidities.

Exclusion criteria

Presence of: * Intellectual problems * Visual problems * Vestibular problems * Neurological conditions * Not able to follow instructions due to behavioral problems * Refuse to participate

Design outcomes

Primary

MeasureTime frameDescription
Changes in the center of mass velocity and acceleration after a single-training session in VR and after a one-week retentionBaseline, after 30 minutes intervention, one weekMeasurement of the movement strategies used by children with and without Developmental Coordination Disorder (DCD) during a balance task. The movement strategies are measured by looking at the center of mass velocity and acceleration during this balance task. The goal is to: (1) investigate whether there is a difference in the used strategies between baseline and after a single training session of 30 minutes; (2) see whether the changes stay present after a one-week retention; (3) see whether there are differences between children with and without DCD.

Secondary

MeasureTime frameDescription
Hemodynamic response in cortical brain regions during balance tasksBaseline, one weekMeasurement of the changes in Oxy- and Deoxyhemoglobin concentrations (μmol/l) (baseline vs task condition), with the use of Functional Near-Infrared Spectroscopy (fNIRS), during the execution of balance tasks. The regions of interest are determinded based on the evidence of brain areas needed for postural control tasks in healthy individuals, and affected brain regions in children with DCD in a variety of tasks (frontal and parietal regions). The goal is to: (1) determine whether brain activity patterns can be an explanation of the movement strategies used during the single-training session; (2) determine the test-retest reliability of fNIRS during balance tasks in children. The NIRSport 2 (NIRx Medical Technologies, GE) with continuous wave imaging (760nm;850nm) is used.
Score on a comprehensive postural control measurement, Kids-BESTest-2BaselineScore on the Balance Evaluation Systems Test for Children, second edition. The test consists of 6 domains. A score below 80% is the cut-off which corresponds to a postural control problem. The scores give an idea in which domain of postural control the problems are present.

Other

MeasureTime frameDescription
Score on a general motor scale, Movement Assessment Battery for Children, second editionBaselineThe MABC-2 consists of 3 domains (manual dexterity, aiming and catching, balance) with a total of 8 tasks. The test gives a general idea about the motor develompment of children on different domains.

Countries

Belgium

Contacts

Primary ContactMaja Van Grinderbeek
maja.vangrinderbeek@uhasselt.be+32476332092
Backup ContactKatrijn Klingels
katrijn.klingels@uhasselt.be

Outcome results

None listed

Source: ClinicalTrials.gov · Data processed: Feb 4, 2026