Decreased walking efficiency in elementary school children with developmental coordination disorder trait

Abstract

Objective To compare walking efficiency, and associated physical function, between children, with and without developmental coordination disorder trait. Design Cross-sectional study. Setting The study was conducted in a Medical and Rehabilitation Center for Developmental Disabilities in Okazaki, Japan. Subjects The study included 286 children, 6–12 years of age, with and without developmental coordination disorder trait. Developmental coordination disorder trait was defined by a score below the −1 standard deviation on the Japanese version of the Developmental Coordination Disorder Questionnaire. Based on this criterion, 45 children (28 boys) were classified into the developmental coordination disorder trait group and the other 241 (115 boys) in the control group. Measures The following physical function outcomes were measured: single leg stance test; step length variability; and walking efficiency, measured using the 2-min walk test. Logistic regression analysis was used to determine the association between developmental coordination disorder trait and lower walking efficiency and physical function. Results Compared to the control group, the developmental coordination disorder group showed lower walking efficiency ( P = 0.026), higher step length variability ( P = 0.047), and shorter single leg stance test ( P = 0.001). Developmental coordination disorder was independently associated with walking efficiency (odds ratio, 1.03; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.001–1.061; P = 0.041) and single leg stance test (odds ratio, 0.99; 95% CI, 0.978–0.996; P = 0.006), but not to step length variability, age, and sex. Conclusions Lower walking efficiency increases energy expenditure in children with developmental coordination disorder trait. Interventions to improve walking efficiency could improve the physical function and participation of these children.

Locomotor-cognitive dual-tasking in children with developmental coordination disorder

“…Group differences on the gait task when performed alone may explain the unexpected pattern we observed for the dual task, relative to previous studies. We showed that children with DCD had a more variable gait pattern under single-task conditions, which is consistent with earlier work showing reduced coordination (Subara-Zukic et al, 2022;Ito et al, 2023) in these children. Increased variability per se may reflect reduced automaticity in the control of gait under lab conditions, an issue exacerbated by poor predictive control of movement (viz IMD hypothesis) (Wilson and McKenzie, 1998;Wilson et al, , 2017.…”

“…By expecting a task, the performer is able to plan and prepare, allowing for a more efficient motor movement. Children with DCD have difficulty integrating predictive sensory information (visual, proprioceptive, and vestibular) to maintain balance and produce a consistent gait cycle, which can increase sway, gait variability ( Ito et al, 2021 ; Subara-Zukic et al, 2022 ), and gait asymmetry ( Ito et al, 2023 ).…”