Postural responses to a moving room in children with and without developmental coordination disorder

Children (10 or 11 years old) with and without developmental coordination disorder (DCD) were exposed to imposed optic flow in a moving room. We manipulated the amplitude and frequency of oscillatory room motion, and we evaluated the coupling of standing body sway with room oscillations. The results revealed that standing sway of both children with and without DCD was influenced by room motion. However, children with DCD responded differently than children without DCD to specific combinations of room motion amplitude and frequency. We conclude that DCD can influence a child's use of imposed optic flow for postural control and that these effects are situation-specific rather than being systemic.

► We compared postural activity of typically developing children (TDC) and children with developmental coordination disorder (DCD) when exposed to experimenter-generated optic flow in a moving room.
► Results show that both TDC and DCD children were influenced by room motion, but that DCD responded differently than children without DCD to specific combinations of room motion amplitude and frequency.
► We argue that DCD can influence a child's use of imposed optic flow for the perception and control of stance and that these effects are situation-specific rather than being systemic.