| This thesis aims to explore the effects of Taekwondo (TKD) training on postural control and sensori-motor performance in children with Developmental coordination disorder (DCD). Two cross-sectional studies (studies 1 and 2) were conducted to identify deficits in postural control in children with DCD. Three additional cross-sectional studies (studies 3 to 5) were then conducted to investigate the potential effects of TKD training in typically developing adolescents. Finally, a randomized controlled trial (study 6) was performed to verify the effects of specific TKD exercises on postural control and sensory organization in children with DCD.;Results from studies 1 and 2 revealed that children with DCD rely on somatosensory information for postural control as effectively as typically developing children (p>0.05). However, children with DCD were shown to be below their normal counterparts in their ability to integrate visual (p<0.01) and vestibular inputs (p<0.01), in their motor strategy used under conflicting sensory conditions (p<0.05), and in their static bipedal (p<0.001), unipedal (p<0.01) and functional standing balance (p<0.001). When the effects of short-term TKD training were investigated (studies 3 to 5), it was found that trainees were better able than their non-trained counterparts to integrate visual (p<0.05) and vestibular inputs (p<0.05) under conflicting sensory conditions and better able to control unipedal standing balance (p<0.05). Finally, our main study (study 6, a randomized controlled trial) showed that three-month specific TKD intervention, aimed at improving sensory organization and balance control in children with DCD, yielded favourable results. This is, (1) TKD training improved visual function for balance control in DCD-affected children (p<0.01), and the effect of training was more profound than the effect of physiological maturation; (2) after the TKD training, less standing sway occurred when only vestibular input was available in children with DCD (p0.05). In addition, (3) unilateral stance stability in children with DCD improved (p0.05). Clinicians can confidently suggest TKD exercise as a combined therapeutic-leisure activity to improve sensory organization and balance control in children with DCD. |
