Clinical trial NCT04783987: Single and Dual Task Gait Parameters in Children With Specific Learning Difficulties
Official title: Gait Parameters Under Single and Dual Task Conditions in Children With Specific Learning Difficulties: A Case-control Study
Study type: OBSERVATIONAL
Overall status: UNKNOWN
Conditions: Specific Learning Disorder
Gait
Lead sponsor: Afyonkarahisar Health Sciences University
Sponsor class: OTHER
First posted: 2021-03-05
Enrollment: 50
Sex: ALL
Minimum age (years): 6
Maximum age (years): 17
Standard ages: CHILD
Observational model: CASE_CONTROL
Time perspective: PROSPECTIVE
Sampling method: NON_PROBABILITY_SAMPLE
Study population: The case group of children between the ages of 6-17 who has been diagnosed with Specific Learning Difficulty and who attends the Specific Learning Difficulty Support Education Program of the Ministry of National Education regularly twice a week; It is planned that a healthy children between the ages of 6-17 will form the control group.

Brief summary: Children with spesific learning disorders have differences in motor and cognitive abilities compared to normal developing children.

Motor tasks as walking are not just have a motor components and also require a cognitive process to realize. Therefore cognitive abilities may effect motor performance.

In daily life, individuals perform dual or multitasks instead of single tasks naturally. Dual task is defined as the concurrent performance of two tasks that can be performed independently. Also dual tasks may be created from different tasks combinations such as a motor-motor dual task or motor-cognitive dual task.

Therefore, aim of the study is to compare gait parameters with healthy controls in single and dual task conditions in children with Special Learning Difficulties.

Detailed description: The fifth edition of the The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5) opted for a categorical approach that introduced the Specific Learning Difficulties. Accordingly, it is thought that specific learning difficulties include many characteristics such as genetic risk, environmental risk factors, developmental characteristics, comorbidity and cognitive weaknesses. According to DSM-5, Specific Learning Difficulties are difficulties in using learning and school skills, which last at least six months, and are characterized by the presence of at least one of the following symptoms, despite the necessary attempts:

1. Slowness and mistakes in reading words
2. Difficulties in reading comprehension
3. Problems with spelling
4. Written expression difficulties
5. Number perception and calculation problems experienced
6. Numerical reasoning problems. In the literature, there are explanations about many cognitive limitations in children with specific learning difficulties, such as information processing, perceptual motor skills, processing of visual stimuli, phonological approach and the theory of cerebellum disorder. All of these cognitive limitations can also affect the dual task performance of these children.

In daily life, individuals perform dual or multitasks instead of single tasks naturally. Dual task is defined as the concurrent performance of two tasks that can be performed independently. Also dual tasks may be created from different tasks combinations such as a motor-motor dual task or motor-cognitive dual task.

However, no study investigating the effect of specific learning difficulties on walking parameters in single and dual task conditions has been found. In the light of the information is obtained from the literature, the gait parameters of children diagnosed with specific learning difficulties in single and dual task conditions may differ from the healthy control group. Therefore, this study's primary goal is to compare gait parameters in single and dual task conditions in children with Special Learning Disabilities with healthy controls.

Eligibility criteria: Inclusion Criteria:

Case Group

* To be in the age range of 6-17
* To have a diagnosis of special learning disability Control Group
* To be in the age range of 6-17
* To be physically, mentally and psychologically healthy

Exclusion Criteria:

* Any acute or chronic orthopedic or neurological disease that may affect walking performance,
* Any surgery within the last 6 months,
* A hearing impairment that cannot be corrected with a hearing aid
* A visual impairment that cannot be corrected with glasses.

Primary outcomes:
measure: Gait speed
timeFrame: 15 minutes
measure: Cadance
timeFrame: 15 minutes
measure: Strength length
timeFrame: 15 minutes
Secondary outcomes:
Other outcomes:
Locations:
city: Afyonkarahisar
country: Turkey
facility: Afyonkarahisar Health Science University
Study officials:
affiliation: Afyonkarahisar Health Science University
name: Emel TAŞVURAN HORATA, PhD
role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR
References: