International journal of pediatric otorhinolaryngology
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Int. J. Pediatr. Otorhinolaryngol. · Oct 1993
Sensory organization of balance responses in children 3-6 years of age: a normative study with diagnostic implications.
The effect of altered sensory environments on balance was studied in 82 healthy children between 3 and 6 years of age. The purpose was to obtain normative measurements of postural stability during early stages of development for use in clinical posturography. Subjects were tested in three visual conditions (eyes open, blind-folded, and sway-referenced visual enclosure) during stance on either a fixed or sway-referenced force platform (EquiTest). ⋯ In addition, postural stability was greater when visual inputs were sway-referenced compared to conditions that manipulated the support surface compliance. These data suggest that the predominance of visual-vestibular control of balance gives way to a somatosensory-vestibular dependence by age 3, but that the transition to adult-like balance responses is not complete for all sensory conditions even by age 6. The use of posturography to enhance the assessment of pediatric vestibular and sensory integration deficits is discussed.