Locomotion and Postural Control in Young Adults with Autism Spectrum Disorders: A Novel Kinesiological Assessment
<b>Background/Objectives</b>: The purposes of the present study were to assess gait by using a novel approach that plots two adjacent joint angles and the postural control in individuals with autism (ASD) and individuals with typical neurodevelopmental (TD). <b>Methods</b>: T...
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| Main Authors: | , , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
MDPI AG
2024-10-01
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| Series: | Journal of Functional Morphology and Kinesiology |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2411-5142/9/4/185 |
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| Summary: | <b>Background/Objectives</b>: The purposes of the present study were to assess gait by using a novel approach that plots two adjacent joint angles and the postural control in individuals with autism (ASD) and individuals with typical neurodevelopmental (TD). <b>Methods</b>: The surface electromyography (sEMG) activity was measured synchronously with the other variables. Twenty young adult men, 10 with TD and 10 with a diagnosis of ASD, took part in this study. <b>Results:</b> There was a significant difference between ASD and TD groups in the area described by the knee–ankle diagram (<i>p</i> < 0.05). The sEMG activity recorded from the lateral gastrocnemius (LG) during the contact phase of gait was significantly lower in the ASD group compared with the TD group (<i>p</i> < 0.05). The sEMG activity recorded in the different postural conditions showed differences in LG and tibialis anterior (TA) between the ASD and TD groups (<i>p</i> < 0.05). <b>Conclusions</b>: The knee–ankle diagram provided a sensitive and specific movement descriptor to differentiate individuals with ASD from individuals with TD. The reduced LG activation is responsible for the reduced area in the knee–ankle diagram and ‘toe-walking’ in individuals with ASD and represents the common denominator of an altered ankle strategy during locomotion and postural control. |
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| ISSN: | 2411-5142 |