Reactive balance performance and mental attention in children with developmental coordination disorder: a cross-sectional study

Purpose: The aim of this pilot study was to compare the reactive balance performance and concurrent mental attention level between DCD children and typically-developing (TD) children. Methods: A cross-sectional exploratory study was carried out. DCD and TD children aged 6 to 9 years old were recruited from the community in Hong Kong. Children with a comorbid diagnosis of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) were excluded. The reactive balance performance was assessed using the Motor Control Test (MCT) on a computerized dynamic posturography (CDP) machine. The mental attention level during the MCT was measured using a NeuroSky Mindwave Mobile EEG headset. The MCT latency scores and the corresponding mental attention levels during backward and forward platform translations were compared between DCD children and the typically-developing children. Results: 120 DCD children (mean age ± standard deviation = 7.38 ± 1.25 years) and 100 typically-developing children (mean age ± standard deviation = 6.73 ± 1.12 years) participated in the study. The MCT latency score during backward platform translation in DCD children was significantly faster than the TD children [mean difference = 14.83, 95%CI = 1.08, 28.59, p = 0.048], while the MCT latency score during forward platform translation in DCD children was significantly slower than the TD children [mean difference = -12.26, 95%CI = -24.30, -0.22, p=0.024]. The EEG-derived attention scores were significantly lower in DCD children than TD children during both MCT backward [mean difference = -3.24, 95%CI = -5.88, -0.60, p=0.042] and forward [mean difference = -4.39, 95%CI = -7.21, -1.58, p=0.031] platform translations. Conclusion(s): This was the first study to show that the reactive balance performance in DCD children was direction-specific, with a better performance during backward platform translation. The mental attention level during reactive balance control in DCD children was lower than the TD children in all MCT platform translation conditions. Implications: Reactive balance training in DCD children should include perturbations from different directions and incorporate a mental attention training component. Key-Words: 1. Clumsy children 2. Reactive postural control 3. Mental focus Funding Acknowledgements: Partially supported by an ECS grant from the Research Grants Council of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, China (27100614). Ethics Approval: Approved by Human Research Ethics Committee (EA291214), the University of Hong Kon