Clinical trial NCT04891562: Rhythmic Interlimb Coordination in Children with Developmental Coordination Disorder
Official title: Rhythmic Interlimb Coordination in Children with Developmental Coordination Disorder Compared to Typical Developing Children: the Effect of Individual, Task and Environmental Constraints
Study type: INTERVENTIONAL
Overall status: COMPLETED
Phase: NA
Conditions: Developmental Coordination Disorder
Keywords: Developmental Coordination Disorder
Interlimb coordination
Gait
Sensorimotor synchronization
Metronomes
Lead sponsor: Hasselt University
Sponsor class: OTHER
First posted: 2021-05-18
Enrollment: 52
Sex: ALL
Minimum age (years): 8
Maximum age (years): 12
Standard ages: CHILD
Accepts healthy volunteers: yes
Allocation: RANDOMIZED
Intervention model: PARALLEL
Primary purpose: OTHER

Brief summary: This study is a case-controlled observational study, involving children with Developmental Coordination Disorder (DCD) and typically developing children with an age from 8 up to 12 years old. The study aims to investigate interlimb coordination of the lower limbs and sensorimotor synchronization ability in children with DCD compared to age-matched typically developing children during gait and fundamental lower limb coordination task to 2 metronomes with different temporal structures. The study consists of a maximum of 4 sessions (2 descriptive sessions, 2 experimental sessions), each lasting around 60 minutes. Depending on the preferences of the child and parents, the sessions can be combined in 2 sessions of 2 hours. During the first descriptive session, the participant will perform the m-ABC2 test to assess gross and fine motor function. The MBEMA-s will be used to examine rhythm perception ability. During the second descriptive session, children will perform the Kids BESTest to examine postural control, and two cognitive tests (digit span, go-no/go test) to assess executive functioning. During the third visit (experimental session), interlimb coordination and synchronization will be investigated during three tasks with different dynamic balance demands (seated, walking and running) in three conditions: in silence, to beats in isochronous metronome (discrete structure), to beats in non-isochronous metronomes (sinusoidal structure). In the last experimental session, the tempi of the auditory metronomes will be set at higher and lower tempi than the preferred comfortable tempo of the child.


Eligibility criteria: Inclusion Criteria:

* are aged between 8-12 years
* have no medical conditions that could impede their motor abilities.
* Children with a diagnosis of DCD, consistent with the DSM-V (Blank et al., 2019), or total percentile score \<P16 on the movement assessment battery for children edition 2 (m-ABC-2), will be included in the group of (probably) DCD.
* The m-ABC score total of typical developing children needs to be ≥P25 for inclusion

Exclusion Criteria:

• have other neurological, orthopaedical, cardiorespiratory or intellectual impairment that could affect their motor abilities (verified using a health questionnaire)

Primary outcomes:
measure: Phase coordination index (PCI)
timeFrame: week 2
measure: Phase coordination index (PCI)
timeFrame: week 3
measure: Auditory motor coupling - Resultant Vector Length to quantify synchronization consistency
timeFrame: week 2
measure: Auditory motor coupling - Resultant Vector Length to quantify synchronization consistency
timeFrame: week 3
measure: Auditory motor coupling - Relative phase angle
timeFrame: week 2
measure: Auditory motor coupling - Relative phase angle
timeFrame: week 3
Secondary outcomes:
measure: velocity (m/s)
timeFrame: week 2
measure: velocity (m/s)
timeFrame: week 3
measure: step width (cm)
timeFrame: week 2
measure: step width (cm)
timeFrame: week 3
measure: stride length (cm)
timeFrame: week 2
measure: stride length (cm)
timeFrame: week 3
measure: cadence (step/minute)
timeFrame: week 2
measure: cadence (step/minute)
timeFrame: week 3
measure: double support (%gait cycle)
timeFrame: week 2
measure: double support (%gait cycle)
timeFrame: week 3
measure: movement frequency
timeFrame: week 2
measure: movement frequency
timeFrame: week 3
measure: movement amplitude
timeFrame: week 2
measure: movement amplitude
timeFrame: week 3
measure: The m-ABC (second edition)
timeFrame: Baseline
measure: Montreal Battery of Evaluation of Musical Abilities (MBEMA-s)
timeFrame: Baseline
measure: Kids BESTest
timeFrame: week 1
measure: digit span
timeFrame: week 1
measure: go-no/go test
timeFrame: week 1
Other outcomes:
Locations:
city: Hasselt
country: Belgium
facility: Hasselt University
Study officials:
affiliation: Hasselt University
name: Eugene Rameckers, prof. dr.
role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR
affiliation: Hasselt University
name: Mieke Goetschalckx, drs.
role: STUDY_CHAIR
References: