Static and Dynamic Balance in Children With Dyslexia
Condition: Dyslexia
MeSH terms: Dyslexia
Study type: Interventional

Summary: 
      Dyslexia is described as a learning disability with a neurological origin. It is a widespread
      disease, characterized by difficulties in recognition of words, spelling, and decoding.

      Postural balance is the ability to control the center of gravity (CoG) on the support base.
      This control starts to appear at the beginning of the 15th months of life and reaches its
      maximum capacity at around 12 years with the maturation of visual, vestibular, and
      somatosensory systems. Static balance defines the postural control state in the maintaining
      position, while dynamic balance represents it during movement. Static and dynamic balance has
      been widely investigated and found to be impaired in different pediatric disorders such as
      cystic fibrosis, cerebral palsy, and spina bifida. There is also apparent evidence of
      deteriorated balance in children with dyslexia. Although quite a number of studies
      investigated balance impairment in individuals with dyslexia, only one study was interested
      in the effects of a postural training program and found significant improvements. That study
      addressed such improvements to brain plasticity, however, did not investigate the reading
      performance simultaneously. The aim of this study was to demonstrate the changes in static
      and dynamic balance, reading performance, and quality of life after a six week after a
      scheduled exercise program in children with dyslexia.
    

Detailed description: 
      Dyslexia is described as a learning disability with a neurological origin. It is a widespread
      disease, characterized by difficulties in recognition of words, spelling, and decoding. It is
      an unexpected and permanent failure in gaining reading skills in the individual who have
      sufficient intelligence, socio-cultural opportunities, and education, according to the World
      Health Organization. The diagnosis can be made by a child and adolescent psychiatrist
      clinically or with the Diagnostics and Statistical Manual of mental disorders (DSM-5). The
      prevalence of dyslexia varies between 2-10%, and it is seen 3-4 times more in men than in
      women.

      Postural balance is the ability to control the center of gravity (CoG) on the support base.
      This control starts to appear at the beginning of the 15th months of life and reaches its
      maximum capacity at around 12 years with the maturation of visual, vestibular, and
      somatosensory systems. Static balance defines the postural control state in the maintaining
      position, while dynamic balance represents it during movement. Static and dynamic balance has
      been widely investigated and found to be impaired in different pediatric disorders such as
      cystic fibrosis, cerebral palsy, and spina bifida. There is also apparent evidence of
      deteriorated balance in children with dyslexia. Frankle and Levinson suggested that there is
      a cerebellar-vestibular disorder in people with dyslexia for the first time in 1973. They
      found that 97% of 115 children with dyslexia abnormal neurological findings such as positive
      Romberg test, walking difficulty, speech disorder, or hypotonia. After then, Rae et al.
      reported that the right frontal lobe of the cerebellum was smaller, and there were distinct
      biochemical changes on the temporoparietal lobe in dyslexic individuals compared to healthy
      controls. Moe-Nilssen et al. showed that dyslexic children have impairment in both balance
      and gait ability. Barela et al. claimed that writing and learning disorders in dyslexia were
      associated with cerebellum. Patel et al. found that postural instability was related to the
      severity of dyslexia. Quercia et al. gave postural exercise treatment to the dyslexics, then
      examined their postural stability after a vibrational stimulation. The length and speed of
      CoG were shown to be significantly higher in untreated dyslexic patients compared to the
      treated dyslexics and the non-dyslexic group.

      Although quite a number of studies investigated balance impairment in individuals with
      dyslexia, only one study was interested in the effects of a postural training program and
      found significant improvements. That study addressed such improvements to brain plasticity,
      however, did not investigate the reading performance simultaneously. The aim of this study
      was to demonstrate the changes in static and dynamic balance, reading performance, and
      quality of life after a six week after a scheduled exercise program in children with
      dyslexia.
    

Intervention name(s): Scheduled exercise program
Intervention type(s): Other
Intervention description(s): 45 minutes of stretching, strengthening, and balance-coordination exercises and 20 minutes of balance training on the Balance Master® device twice a week for six weeks
Intervention model: Single Group Assignment
Intervention model description: Children, aged between 8 and 11 years, with clinical dyslexia diagnosed by a child and adolescent psychiatrist
Masking: None (Open Label)
Primary purpose: Treatment
Keywords: Dyslexia; Balance; Exercise Program