Effect of Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation and Selected Exercises on Balance in Children with Developmental Coordination Disorder

Children with Developmental Coordination Disorder (DCD) have poor sensory motor function compared to healthy children. Poor motor performance in daily activities is not consistent with the child’s age and intelligence, and is not due to medical condition. DCD is one of the most prominent impairments in the development of motor skills in preschool and elementary children. The purpose of the present study was to investigate the effect of transcranial electrical stimulation and selected exercises on balance in children with developmental coordination disorder in different sensory conditions.

An experimental study with pre–posttest design and control group was conducted on 20 children, 7 to 14 years old, who were randomly divided into intervention and control groups after applying the inclusion and exclusion criteria. After examining the participants’ balance evaluated by Sensory Organizing Test of Computerized Dynamic Posturorghraphy apparatus in six different sensory modes, the intervention group underwent transcutaneous electrical stimulation and motor program for 8 sessions and 3 sessions per week, and the control group received mock electrical stimulation and motor program. Next, the post-test was performed to evaluate the balance performance between the two groups.

The results of the study showed that the two groups have significant differences in Normal Vision and Fixed Support (P = 0.001), Absent Vision and Fixed Support (P = 0.006), Sway-Referenced Vision and Fixed Support (P = 0.023), condition Normal Vision and Sway-Referenced Support (P = 0.007), and Sway-Referenced Vision and Sway-Referenced Support (P = 0.021) conditions. Also, the two groups were not found to be significantly different in Absent Vision and Sway-Referenced Support (P = 0.102) condition.

According to the results of the current study, transcranial electrical stimulation can be a new method of pre-physical activity on the balance of children with developmental coordination disorder and can help improve balance in these children.