Effects of Visual and Auditory Input on Postural Control in Children with Autism

Gait and Posture published research on the postural control of children with autism under two different task conditions.  Nineteen children with autism (ages 10-15) were compared to 28 typically developing peers.  Using a force platform to assess postural control, each subject completed a visual searching task and an auditory digital span task. The following results were seen:

• children with autism spectrum disorder indicated higher postural sway scores in visual task versus auditory task although typically developing children scores remained unchanged.
• children with autism spectrum disorder also showed significantly higher sway scores than typically developing children in all parameters.  

The researchers concluded that in addition to primary differences in postural control of children with autism, visual and auditory tasks may also influence postural control.

Reference: Amir Hossein Memari, Parisa Ghanouni, Monir Shayestehfar, Vahid Ziaee, et al. Effects of visual search vs. auditory tasks on postural control in children with autism spectrum disorder. Gait and Posture. In press on 8/6/13 DOI: 10.1016/j.gaitpost.2013.07.012