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Children with Heavy Prenatal Alcohol Exposure Exhibit Atypical Gait Characteristics
Author(s) -
Taggart Tenille C.,
Simmons Roger W.,
Thomas Jennifer D.,
Riley Edward P.
Publication year - 2017
Publication title -
alcoholism: clinical and experimental research
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.267
H-Index - 153
eISSN - 1530-0277
pISSN - 0145-6008
DOI - 10.1111/acer.13450
Subject(s) - cadence , gait , physical medicine and rehabilitation , prenatal alcohol exposure , medicine , preferred walking speed , physical therapy , alcohol , biochemistry , chemistry
Background Impaired motor function in children with histories of prenatal exposure to alcohol has been previously reported but, to date, no studies using quantitatively based analyses have been performed to assess gait in these children. Methods Gait of children with ( n = 18) or without ( n = 26) prenatal alcohol exposure was assessed using an electronically instrumented walkway. Children completed blocks of trials traversing the walkway with different combinations of walking condition (increased, self‐paced, and decreased cadence) and direction (forward and backward). Gait velocity, cadence, stride length, step width, foot angle, and double support time, as well as the variability of these temporal–spatial markers, were used to assess gait. Results Results indicated that, in comparison with typically developing children, alcohol‐exposed children produced exaggerated foot angle and increased step width. Additionally, alcohol‐exposed children produced greater intrasubject variability of gait velocity and walking cadence while walking forward and backward, and greater variability in step width when walking backward and for all 3 walking conditions. Conclusions The results indicate that selected gait markers are adversely affected by prenatal exposure to alcohol. Clinicians and front‐line personnel (e.g., teachers) should provide movement enriched experiences to help ameliorate these alcohol‐related deficits.