Examination of gait parameters during perturbed over-ground walking in children with autism spectrum disorder

•Children with ASD exhibit asymmetries in unloaded and loaded walking.•Children with ASD exhibit individual kinematic responses between loaded conditions.•Gait in children with ASD is not influenced when carrying backpacks or weight vests. Many children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) are school...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Research in developmental disabilities 2018-03, Vol.74, p.50-56
Main Authors: Eggleston, Jeffrey D., Landers, Merrill R., Bates, Barry T., Nagelhout, Ed, Dufek, Janet S.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Autism spectrum disorder
Autism Spectrum Disorder - diagnosis
Autism Spectrum Disorder - physiopathology
Backpacks
Biomechanical Phenomena - physiology
Body Mass Index
Child
Female
Gait - physiology
Humans
Load carriage
Locomotion
Lower Extremity - physiopathology
Male
Pediatrics
Walking - physiology
Weight-Bearing - physiology
Weighted vests
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Summary:•Children with ASD exhibit asymmetries in unloaded and loaded walking.•Children with ASD exhibit individual kinematic responses between loaded conditions.•Gait in children with ASD is not influenced when carrying backpacks or weight vests. Many children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) are school-aged and typically carry a backpack. It is important to understand how this task affects walking. Weighted vests (WVs) often prescribed to mitigate behavioral effects of ASD. The effects of backpack and WV walking have not been examined in children with ASD. To quantify differences in lower extremity mechanics in children with ASD during WV and backpack walking. Eight male participants completed 15 trials in three conditions: body mass, and carrying or wearing a backpack or WV with 15% added body mass. Three-dimensional kinematic data were collected and normalized to 100% of the gait cycle. The Model Statistic was utilized to test for bilateral asymmetries between the lower extremity joints at all points along the gait cycle. Analysis revealed similar numbers of significant asymmetries in hip (71.0, 70.4, 60.6), knee (68.4, 71.5, 74.6), and ankle (64.1, 68.9, 68.4) for unloaded, backpack, and WV, respectively. Participants exhibited individualized kinematic symmetry-responses to the loaded conditions compared to the unloaded condition. These findings suggest that 15% body mass backpack or WV does not affect gait symmetry in children with ASD.
ISSN:0891-4222
1873-3379
DOI:10.1016/j.ridd.2018.01.004