Dual-tasking Effect on Gait in Children With Developmental Coordination Disorder

Gait Clinical Trial

Official title:

The Influence of an Interceptive Task on Gait in Children With Developmental Coordination Disorder Compared to Typically Developing Children

Clinical Trial Details — Status: Not yet recruiting

Administrative data

• NCT number: NCT06400043
• Other study ID #: ONZ-2023-0650
• Status: Not yet recruiting
• Phase: N/A
• Start date: June 1, 2024
• Est. completion date: August 31, 2026

Study information

• Verified date: May 2024
• Source: University Ghent
• Contact: Michelle Verhoeven
• Phone: +32 9 332 46 57
• Email: michelle.verhoeven[@]ugent.be
• Is FDA regulated: No
• Study type: Interventional

Clinical Trial Summary

The aim of the study is to collect data in children with developmental coordination disorder (DCD) aged between 7 and 17 years for analyses of the gait pattern while walking at the Gait Real-time Analysis Interactive Lab (GRAIL) at the university hospital of Ghent.

Children with DCD will be asked to take a motor test (M-ABC-2) as well as walk on the treadmill during a single session of approximately 3 hours.

The following data will be collected on the GRAIL while subjects walk at different gait speeds: 3D kinematics, kinetics, and EMG.

Additionally, 3D kinematics, kinetics, and EMG data will be collected when performing either a cognitive (Stroop Color and Word Test) or motor (requiring arm swing) dual-task while walking at comfortable walking speed..

Description:

The aim of the study is to collect data in children with developmental coordination disorder (DCD) aged between 7 and 17 years for analyses of the gait pattern while walking at the Gait Real-time Analysis Interactive Lab (GRAIL). This is a treadmill linked to a virtual environment used to analyse and train gait at the Children's Rehabilitation Centre of Ghent University Hospital. The data from children with DCD will be compared with typically developing children. In this study, only children with DCD will be included and the data resulting from this study will be compared to the data from the previous study in typically developing children (ID: B670201942108).

Children with DCD will be asked to take a motor test (M-ABC-2) as well as walk on the treadmill during a single session of approximately 3 hours. While walking at comfortable walking speed, two short games will be played i.e. dual-tasking. This involves both a cognitive (Stroop Colour-Word Test) and a motor (requires the use of the arms) dual task projected in the virtual environment of the GRAIL. The cognitive and motor task will be performed both while standing still (single tasking: ST) and while walking (dual tasking: DT). Simultaneously, kinetics, kinematics, and EMG data will be collected for 3D gait analysis. Using muscle synergy analysis (based on EMG data), the degree of gait automatization will be analysed. The data from children with DCD will be compared with typically developing children to determine whether a reduced gait automatization can be observed in children with DCD.

Parents will be asked to complete a screening list (CVO/DCD-Q) for motor problems in daily life. This aims as a support to the motor test (M-ABC-2), together providing additional insight into children's motor functioning (in daily life).

Recruitment information / eligibility

• Status: Not yet recruiting
• Enrollment: 23
• Est. completion date: August 31, 2026
• Est. primary completion date: August 31, 2025
• Accepts healthy volunteers: No
• Gender: All
• Age group: 7 Years to 17 Years

Eligibility

Inclusion Criteria:

• They have an official DCD diagnosis;

• Are aged between 7 and 17 years old;

• Can walk at least 15 minutes consecutively;

• Have good or corrected vision.

Exclusion Criteria:

• They suffer from a neurological disorder;

• Take medications that affect gait and balance;

• Have undergone surgical procedures on the lower limbs in the past;

• Experience pain in their lower limbs or back at the time of testing.

Related Conditions & MeSH terms

• Gait
• Motor Skills Disorders

Intervention

Other:
• Cognitive dual-task
Participants will be asked to walk at comfortable walking speed while playing an additional cognitive task, namely the Stroop Color and Word Test.
• Motor dual-task
Participants will be asked to walk at comfortable walking speed while playing an additional motor task, namely a game that requires arm swing to hit the targets.

Locations

Country	Name	City	State
Belgium	Ghent University	Ghent

Sponsors (2)

Lead Sponsor	Collaborator
University Ghent	University Hospital, Ghent

Country where clinical trial is conducted

Belgium, 

Outcome

Type	Measure	Description	Time frame	Safety issue
Other	Demographic data	Gender, age	Single point baseline assessment
Other	Anthropometric data (height)	Height and segment lengths (cm)	Single point baseline assessment
Other	Anthropometric data (weight)	Weight (kg)	Single point baseline assessment
Other	M-ABC-2	Standardized tool to identify motor functioning in children (standard score between 1 and 19); Standard scores indicate: Significant motor difficulty: standard score < 6; Minor motor difficulties: standard score 6 or 7; No motor difficulty: standard score > 7	Single point baseline assessment
Other	Developmental Coordination Disorder Questionnaire (DCDQ)	Brief parent questionnaire to screen for coordination disorders in children (total score between 15-75); Children score suspected/an indication for DCD when: Age 5-7: score of <47; Age 8-9: score of <56; Age 10-15: score of <58	Single point baseline assessment
Primary	Kinematics	3D kinematics of lower and upper limb joints while walking (degrees)	Single point assessment, day 1
Primary	Kinetics	3D kinetics of lower limb joints while walking (Nm)	Single point assessment, day 1
Primary	EMG	Muscle activity of 16 lower limb muscles (microvolts)	Single point assessment, day 1
Primary	Muscle synergies	Synergy analysis will be conducted using the EMG data (variance accounted for -VAF)	Single point assessment, day 1
Primary	Spatiotemporal parameters	Spatial parameters (m), temporal parameters (s), walking velocity (m/s)	Single point assessment, day 1
Secondary	Gait deviation index	Based on kinematics, the lower-limb gait deviations will be calculated (degrees)	Single point assessment, day 1
Secondary	Game result (cognitive task)	Score (% correct)	Single point assessment, day 1
Secondary	Game result (motor task)	Score (% correct)	Single point assessment, day 1