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Not yet recruitingNCT06152510Updated Nov 30, 2023

Static Balance in Children With Autism vs. Neurotypical Peers

An observational study in Autism and Autism Spectrum Disorder, sponsored by Istituto per la Ricerca e l'Innovazione Biomedica. Not yet recruiting at 1 site in Italy. Open to participants aged 4 Years to 13 Years, including healthy volunteers. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2023-11-30.

Sponsored by Istituto per la Ricerca e l'Innovazione Biomedica · Observational

From the registry’s dates

  • Primary completion was expected by Feb 2024, 2 years 7 months ago, but the record still lists the study as not yet recruiting.
Study type
Observational
Model
Case-control
Time perspective
Cross-sectional
Enrollment
30
Ages
4 Years to 13 Years
Sex
All
01

Study summary

The Virtual Reality Rehabilitation System (VRRS) is an innovative and sophisticated technology, aimed to generate immersive and interactive settings intended for therapeutic and evaluative objectives. Through the utilization of virtual reality technology, it constructs diverse scenarios, tasks, and activities in a controlled digital environment, fostering engagement. Primarily crafted for rehabilitation purposes, the VRRS features adaptable programs addressing various therapeutic requirements, encompassing motor skill enhancement, cognitive challenges, and assessments related to balance.Understanding the nuanced motor abilities in children, particularly those with neurodevelopmental conditions like autism, is a critical area of research in pediatric rehabilitation. The significance of this research lies in comprehending the specific balance challenges experienced by children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), a population often noted for motor coordination and balance difficulties. Because VRRS offers a controlled and engaging environment, this study seeks to provide a detailed analysis of static balance abilities in capabilities in children diagnosed with ASD in comparison to typically developing (TD) children. The study also wants to explore the efficacy of VRRS as an assessment tool for pediatric balance evaluations.The primary objective of this study is to highlight the distinctions in postural control between ASD and TD children, utilizing an objective quantification tool to delineate the differences between the two groups. This will be achieved through a group comparison study involving two distinct cohorts. The first group will comprise 30 school-aged children with ASD, while the second group will consist of 30 TD school-aged children. To evaluate postural control, both groups will participate in an activity utilizing the VRRS in conjunction with a stabilometric balance platform. During the assessment task, participants will stand on the balance platform with their eyes open, focusing on a fixed point displayed on the VRRS screen for a duration of one minute. This process will be repeated three times for each participant. The combined use of VRRS and the stabilometric balance platform aims to provide a comprehensive evaluation of postural control abilities in both groups, allowing for the observation and measurement of potential differences in stability and balance performance between children with ASD and their neurotypical counterparts.

02

Conditions studied

  • Autism
  • Autism Spectrum Disorder

Keywords

  • Autism
  • virtual reality
  • virtual reality rehabilitation system
  • postural control
03

In context

Autistic Disorder

1,344 studies on the registry are indexed under Autistic Disorder; 334 are open to participants now.

This study's planned enrollment of 30 is below the median of 102 across 267 observational studies indexed under Autistic Disorder.

Browse Autistic Disorder studies →

Lead sponsor

Istituto per la Ricerca e l'Innovazione Biomedica is the lead sponsor of 46 studies on the registry; 29 are open to participants now.

Counted across the registry records on this site, refreshed daily.

04

Who can participate

Ages eligible
4 Years to 13 Years
Sexes eligible
All
Accepts healthy volunteers
Yes
Sampling method
Probability sample

Study population

Thirty children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and 30 typically developing (TD) children will participate in the study. The children with ASD will be recruited and tested at the clinical facilities of the Institute for Biomedical Research and Innovation of the National Research Council of Italy (IRIB-CNR) in Messina. To be included in the study the child needs to have an ASD diagnosis based on the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual, Fifth Edition (DSM-5) criteria from a licensed clinical child neuropsychiatrist but no established intellectual disability diagnosis. The TD children will recruit through advertisements in schools located close to the Institute. Informed consent will obtain from all subjects involved in the study.

Inclusion criteria

  • Diagnosis of Autism; QI ≥ 75

Exclusion criteria

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Motor deficits due to another clinical condition
05

Study design

Observational model
Case-control
Time perspective
Cross-sectional
Enrollment
30 participants (estimated)
Patient registry
No

Groups and cohorts

  • Children with autism spectrum condition

    Thirty children with autism spectrum condition and with medium-high functioning, aged 4 to 13 years, IQ \> 75, in the absence of motor deficits due to another clinical condition.

    Other: Virtual Reality Rehabilitation System

  • Children with typical development

    Thirty children with typical development aged 4 to 13 years, IQ \> 75, in the absence of motor deficits due to clinical condition.

    Other: Virtual Reality Rehabilitation System

Interventions

  • OtherVirtual Reality Rehabilitation System

    In a single session to evaluate postural control, both children with ASD and typically developing peers will participate in an activity utilizing the Virtual Reality Rehabilitation System (VRRS) in conjunction with a stabilometric balance platform. During the assessment task, participants will stand on the balance platform with their eyes open, focusing on a fixed point displayed on the VRRS screen for a duration of one minute. This process will be repeated three times for each participant. The combined use of VRRS and the stabilometric balance platform aims to provide a comprehensive evaluation of postural control abilities in both groups, allowing for the observation and measurement of potential differences in stability and balance performance between children with ASD and their neurotypical counterparts.

06

What researchers measure

Primary outcomes

  1. Centre of Pressure (COP) displacement

    The Virtual Reality Rehabilitation system (VRRS; Khymeia, Italy) is an innovative system based on the concept of augmented feedback. It consists of devices for clinical use and a tablet for home-based telerehabilitation, which can be remotely managed. Different peripherals can be connected via USB to the VRRS, including a stabilometric balance platform. It is a force plate (80 ×55 cm) able to detect forces in the z-direction and the Centre of Pressure (COP) displacement in millimeter (mm). The COP displacement is the distance and direction that COP moves from a reference point or position, in the anterior-posterior (AP) and medial-lateral (ML) direction, thanks to the four load cells integrated into the balance platform. Moreover, a dedicated software can be used to calibrate the balance platform which will allow the estimation of static postural data. After each measurement, a report containing a summary of the data can be exported through the dedicated software.

    Time frame: The test needs approximately 3 minutes per child

  2. Centre of Pressure (COP) velocity

    The Virtual Reality Rehabilitation system (VRRS; Khymeia, Italy) is an innovative system based on the concept of augmented feedback. It consists of devices for clinical use and a tablet for home-based telerehabilitation, which can be remotely managed. Different peripherals can be connected via USB to the VRRS, including a stabilometric balance platform. It is a force plate (80 ×55 cm) able to detect Centre of Pressure (COP) velocity in millimeter per second (mm/s), a sensitive measure to detect changes in postural control.

    Time frame: The test needs approximately 3 minutes per child

  3. Centre of Pressure (COP) sway area

    The Virtual Reality Rehabilitation system (VRRS; Khymeia, Italy) is an innovative system based on the concept of augmented feedback. It consists of devices for clinical use and a tablet for home-based telerehabilitation, which can be remotely managed. Different peripherals can be connected via USB to the VRRS, including a stabilometric balance platform. It is a force plate (80 ×55 cm) able to detect the Centre of Pressure (COP) sway area in square millimeter per second (mm2 /s). Sway area is the area enclosed by the COP trajectory per unit time.

    Time frame: The test needs approximately 3 minutes per child

  4. Movement Assessment Battery for Children - Second Edition (MABC-2)

    The Movement Assessment Battery for Children - Second Edition (MABC-2) is an assessment test specifically developed for children from 3 to 16 years with motor function impairment. The tasks are divided by age range and organized into three sections: manual dexterity, aiming and catching and balance. Scores are provided in standard scores and percentiles and are interpreted by using a traffic light system: green light (scores above 15 percentile), meaning typical motor performances; yellow light (scores between 5 and 15 percentile), indicating a risk for motor impairment; red light (scores below 5 percentile), identifying a significant motor function impairment.

    Time frame: The test needs approximately 40 minutes.

07

Study locations

1 site
  • Institute for Biomedical Research and Innovation (IRIB) - National Research Council (CNR)
    Messina, 98164, Italy
08

References and documents

Publications

  • Beani E, Filogna S, Martini G, Barzacchi V, Ferrari A, Guidi E, Menici V, Cioni G, Sgandurra G. Application of Virtual Reality Rehabilitation System for the assessment of postural control while standing in typical children and peers with neurodevelopmental disorders. Gait Posture. 2022 Feb;92:364-370. doi: 10.1016/j.gaitpost.2021.12.008. Epub 2021 Dec 10. PubMed 34923256 ↗
  • Kaur M, M Srinivasan S, N Bhat A. Comparing motor performance, praxis, coordination, and interpersonal synchrony between children with and without Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). Res Dev Disabil. 2018 Jan;72:79-95. doi: 10.1016/j.ridd.2017.10.025. Epub 2017 Nov 6. PubMed 29121516 ↗
  • Martini G, Beani E, Filogna S, Menici V, Cioni G, Battini R, Sgandurra G. New Technological Approach for the Evaluation of Postural Control Abilities in Children with Developmental Coordination Disorder. Children (Basel). 2022 Jun 26;9(7):957. doi: 10.3390/children9070957. PubMed 35883941 ↗

Individual participant data

Plan to share: No

09

Updates

Tracking since Sep 25, 2026
No changes since tracking began. The registry record was last updated on Nov 30, 2023, before this site started recording changes on Sep 25, 2026. Its history is on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗
10

Registry details

Key details

Study ID
NCT06152510
Lead sponsor
Istituto per la Ricerca e l'Innovazione Biomedica
Collaborators
Messina, Italy
Responsible party
Flavia Marino (Head of Unit, Istituto per la Ricerca e l'Innovazione Biomedica) — Principal investigator
First posted
Nov 30, 2023
Start date
Dec 1, 2023 (estimated)
Primary completion
Feb 28, 2024 (estimated)
Completion
Apr 30, 2024 (estimated)
Last update
Nov 30, 2023

Study contacts

Chiara Failla
Contact
chiara.failla@irib.cnr.it
+393921985644
Giovanni Pioggia
Contact
giovanni.pioggia@irib.cnr.it
+393203390892
Flavia Marino
principal investigator · Institute for Biomedical Research and Innovation (IRIB) - National Research Council (CNR)

Oversight

Data monitoring committee
No
FDA-regulated drug
No
FDA-regulated device
No
View the source record on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗

Not currently enrolling

This study is not yet recruiting, as verified in Nov 2023. You cannot join it, but the record below documents what was studied.

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