The effects of balance training intervention on postural control of children with autism spectrum disorder: Role of sensory information

Purpose: The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of balance training intervention in children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), and to explore the relative role of the sensory systems in such kids. Methodology: We recruited 20 school children (IQ> 80) diagnosed with ASD, and categorized them in two groups; a 10-member training group (average age: 7.70 +/- 1.05) and a 10-member control group (average age: 7.90 1.10). Thus, following a six-week-long balance training intervention in four conditions of bipedal upright stance [compliant (Foam) vs. non-compliant (Hard) with eyes-open (EO) vs. eyes-closed (EC)), we examined measures such as mean velocity (V), anteroposterior (AP) and mediolateral (ML) axis displacement, and compared the results to those calculated prior to the initiation of the intervention using MANOVA test. Results: This study showed that the balance training program efficiently improved the postural control in ASD suffering children, and that removing the visual and plantar proprioceptive information led to increased sway in both groups. The training group performed significantly better than the control group in all conditions. Conclusion: It is thus concludable that children suffering from ASD can benefit from such balance training programs to improve their balance and postural control. (C) 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.