Effects of Balance Training on Gait and Functional Strength in Children With Intellectual Disabilities
Condition: Intellectual Impairment
MeSH terms: Intellectual Disability
Study type: Interventional

Summary: 
      Intellectual impairment is a developmental condition that first appears in childhood and
      causes substantial intellectual or cognitive limitations as well as inadequate adaptation to
      the demands of daily life. It may be viewed as a syndrome grouping (meta-syndrome), rather
      than as an illness or a disability; encompassing a wide range of clinical problems, including
      hereditary, viral, metabolic, and neurological issues. Prior to learning new abilities, there
      is a loss in cognitive functioning that is indicative of ID. Falling is a severe issue that
      affects people with intellectual disabilities frequently. Although studies based on
      retrospective data collected over time have not determined the exact prevalence of falling in
      the ID community, they have estimated that 30-60% of people fall within a 12-month period.
      Similar fall risk factors exist in the general population and in people with ID, such as
      advancing age, vision problems, and mobility issues. However, some characteristics, such as
      having frequent seizures and a high level of ambulation, seem more distinctive to ID. The
      purpose of this study is to analyze the effects of balance training on gait and functional
      strength in children with mild intellectual disabilities. This will be a Randomized
      Controlled Trial. Approval will be gained from the Ethical committee of the Riphah
      international university Lahore, Pakistan prior to the commencement of study. Written
      informed consent will be taken from all the patients and all information and data will be
      confidential. Subjects will be informed that there is no risk of study and they will be free
      to withdraw any time during process of study. 22 intellectually disabled children between the
      ages of 7 and 14 will be randomly allocated to the Experimental group (n=10) or a Control
      group (n=10). The Experimental group will be given the Baseline treatment comprising of
      Static balance training (i.e. heel and toe raises, alternate rising of the left and right
      foot above the floor and tandem standing.) alongside Dynamic Balance training (weight
      shifting forward, backward, sideward, and diagonally with eyes opened and eyes closed,
      walking toe-to-heel barefoot, side walking, reverse walking and one-foot jumps), and
      Progressive activity training (including stepping over/on obstacles, throwing and catching a
      ball, and kicking a ball.) for 40 minutes per day, twice each week for 8 weeks. Whereas, the
      Control group will continue their regular school schedule, which will include participation
      in physical education activities at the same frequency. Along with that, only Baseline
      treatment including Static balance training (i.e. alternate rising of the left and right foot
      above the floor and tandem standing.) will be given at the same intervals and for the same
      length of time as the intervention group, with the exception of additional Dynamic balance
      training and progressive activity training. The time up-and-go test, the 10-meter walk test
      and GMFM-88 were used to evaluate gait, and the Sit-to-stand test and the Stair Climbing
      test. were used to measure each participant's functional strength. Pre and Post treatment
      values will be evaluated and the Data will be analyzed using SPSS 22.0.
    


Intervention name(s): Dynamic Balance training; Static balance training
Intervention type(s): Other; Other
Intervention description(s): The Experimental group will be given the Baseline treatment comprising of Stretching & Static balance training (i.e. heel and toe raises, alternate rising of the left and right foot above the floor and tandem standing.) alongside Dynamic Balance training which will include (weight shifting forward, backward, sideward, and diagonally with eyes opened and eyes closed, walking toe-to-heel barefoot, side walking, reverse walking and one-foot jumps), and Progressive activity training (such as stepping over/on obstacles, throwing and catching a ball, and kicking a ball.) for 40 minutes per day, twice each week for 8 weeks.; The Control group will continue their regular school schedule, which will include participation in physical education activities at the same frequency. Along with that Baseline treatment including Static balance training (i.e. alternate rising of the left and right foot above the floor and tandem standing.) only, at the same intervals and for the same length of time as the intervention group, with the exception of additional Dynamic balance training and progressive activity training.
Allocation: Randomized
Intervention model: Parallel Assignment
Masking: Single (Participant)
Primary purpose: Other