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Postural Stability in Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder

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Abstract

Maintaining upright posture is a complex process involving multiple afferent systems. The aim of this study was to measure the postural stability of children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) compared with children with typical neurodevelopment and to measure the relative contributions of the visual, somatosensory, and vestibular afferent systems in each group. Eight boys with ASD and eight age-, race-, and gender-matched controls participated in this study using force platform technology with customized software to measure postural sway under conditions designed to eliminate or modify visual and somatosensory input. Children with ASD had significantly larger sway areas under all test conditions in which afferent input was modified. These results are consistent with a deficit in the integration of visual, vestibular, and somatosensory input to maintain postural orientation.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Pediatrics, Division of Developmental Disabilities, and Center for Epidemiology and Biostatistics, University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, Cincinnati, Ohio

    Cynthia A. Molloy, Kim N. Dietrich & Amit Bhattacharya

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  1. Cynthia A. Molloy
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  2. Kim N. Dietrich
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  3. Amit Bhattacharya
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Correspondence to Cynthia A. Molloy.

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Molloy, C.A., Dietrich, K.N. & Bhattacharya, A. Postural Stability in Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder. J Autism Dev Disord 33, 643–652 (2003). https://doi.org/10.1023/B:JADD.0000006001.00667.4c

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1023/B:JADD.0000006001.00667.4c

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