Judith Gentle
Supervisors; Kate Wilmut, Anna Barnett,
Oxford Brookes University

Patla, et al. (1991) identified three main requirements for successful walking:
1) A pattern of walking that can support the body against gravitational forces.
2) Keeping the body balanced.
3) Adapting to changing environmental demands.

 Children with DCD are reported to be awkward in their gait, frequently stumbling and bumping into things
(Parker & Larkin, 2003).
 Children aged 7-9 with DCD have shorter steps, longer double support phase than TD peers (Deconinck et al.,
2006a+b).
 Children with DCD pitch the trunk further forward than their peers when walking on a treadmill (Deconinck et al.,
2006a).
 Rosengren et al (2009) found that children with DCD exhibit greater variability in their gait patterns than their
TD peers.

Although motor difficulties often persist to adulthood there have been no studies investigating the walking patterns of adults with DCD.

 Employ a naturalistic walking task
 Examine step characteristics in adults with and without DCD
 Quantitatively assess complex aspects of limb coordination.

 7 adults with DCD aged 18-32 years, 7 age and gendermatched controls
 Adults with DCD recruited from the Oxford Brookes
Database, assessed in line with the DSM-IV criteria for
DCD
 Typically Developing (TD) adults recruited from secondary schools and Oxford Brookes University.

Data Collection Area
SC
Birds-eye view of experimental set-up

 A VICON 3D motion analysis system tracked the motion of markers attached to the feet, legs, trunk and head.
 Data was collected in one direction only, as the participant walked straight towards the 6 VICON cameras.

Foot measures
 Step length, Step width ratio, % time in double support.
Trunk measures
 Mean maximum vertical and lateral movement of CoM,
Velocity.

Foot measures
Step length (cm)
Step width ratio
% gait cycle spent in DS
DCD TD
Significance
Mean SD Mean SD Pvalues
55.30
46.71
58.92
51.33
p = 0.192
0.66
0.26
0.70
0.09
p = 0.751
17.46
6.96
16.28
0.98
p = 0. 670
Trunk measures
Velocity (m/s)
Vertical trunk movement (cm)
Lateral trunk movement (cm)
1.03
0.16
1.07
0.22
p = 0.719
4.55
18.69
3.81
5.59
p = 0.339
5.40
21.60
7.33
37.00
p = 0.259
Means, SD ’ s and significance for walking data across groups

As well as looking at differences between means and variance of the groups, individual variability was investigated for all conditions.
 Variability between groups for step length was approaching significance (p=0.066)

 Maki (1997) found that increased variability of step length, speed and time spent in double support were associated with a greater risk of falling in older adults.
 McAndrew-Young & Dingwell (2012) found that changes in step length and step width were predictors of greater risk of falling in younger adults (aged 18-35).
They hypothesise that variability in these parameters destabilise the trunk, increasing the likelihood of falling.

 There is no evidence to suggest that the walking patterns of adults with and without DCD are different when walking in a predictable environment.
 Data from the complete programme of studies will be used to investigate the adaptability of walking patterns for adults with and without DCD under different environmental demands.
 Data from the complete sample will be used to investigate the effects of variability within the DCD group.

Funded by ESRC;

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Deconinck, F., De Clercq, D., Savelsbergh, G., Van Coster, R., Oostra, A., Dewitte, G.,
Lenoir, M. (2006)a. Differences in Gait between children with and without
Developmental Coordination Disorder. Motor Control, 10, 125-142
Deconinck, F., De Clercq, D., Savelsbergh, G., Van Coster, R., Oostra, A., Dewitte, G.,
Lenoir, M. (2006)b. Visual contribution to walking in children with Developmental
Coordination Disorder. Child: Care, Health and Development, 32, 711-722
Maki, B. (1997). Gait changes in older adults: predictors of falls or indicators of fear.
Journal of American Geriatric Society, 45, 313-320
McAndrew-Young, P., Dingwell, J. (2012). Voluntary changing step length or step width affects dynamic stability of human walking. Gait and Posture, 35, 472-477
Parker, H., Larkin, D. (2003). Children’s coordination and developmental movement difficulty. In: Development of movement and coordination in children. Eds; G
Savelsbergh, K, Davids, J, van der Kamp & S. Bennett. Routledge, London.
Patla, A., Prentice, S., Robinson, C., Neufeld, J. (1991) Visual control of locomotion:
Strategies for changing direction and for going over obstacles. Journal of experimental
Psychology: Human Perception and Performance,17, 603-634.