Effect of Texture Insole on the Frequency Spectrum of Ground Reaction Forces in Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder during Walking

Using textured insoles in Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) individuals could be effective during walking. This factor is a major cause to change the frequency spectrum of ground reaction forces during walking. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the effect of texture insoles on the frequency spectrum of ground reaction forces in children with ASD during walking.

A quasi-experimental study was conducted on children with Autism Spectrum Disorder selected via available sampling. A total of 10 girls with ASD participated in the present study with the age range of 7-8 years old. A foot scan system (sampling rate: 300Hz) was used to assess frequency spectrum of ground reaction forces during walking with and without textured insoles and bare foot condition. Repeated measures ANOVA was used for statistical analyses.

The results did not show any significant difference in the frequency spectrum of ground reaction forces in the vertical direction, hallux 1, and toes 2-5 among the three conditions of bare foot, shoe, and LP insole (p>0.05). Also, the number of essential harmonies in the third metatarsal during insole condition was lower than that for bare foot condition by 29.32% (p=0.044, d= 1.13).  In addition, the number of essential harmonies of the fifth metatarsal during insole condition was lower than that of shoe condition by 27.19% (p= 0.031, d=1.33).

The present study showed that the use of textured insole reduced the number of essential harmonics in the fifth metatarsal as compared to shoe walking and, therfore, could be recommended for the blind. However, it did not show any significant effect on most of the frequency spectral variables.  Yet, further study is warranted.