Postural Control of Anteroposterior and Mediolateral Sway in Children with Probable Developmental Coordination Disorder

Purpose: To examine postural control of anteroposterior (AP) and mediolateral sway of children with probable developmental coordination disorder (pDCD) and children with typical development (TD). Methods: Forty-eight children (24 in each group) aged 11 to 12 years performed an aiming task, maintaining a laser beam within targets placed in 2 locations (front/side). Precision was compromised primarily by the control of mediolateral sway for the front target and by the control of AP sway for the side target. The task was performed with large and small targets. Results: In the side target condition, only (1) the TD group showed reduced AP sway in response to reduced target size, whereas the pDCD group increased AP sway, and (2) aiming performance for reduced target sizes deteriorated to a greater degree in the pDCD group than in the TD group. Conclusion: These findings suggest children with pDCD have specific deficits in controlling AP sway.