Effect of Vojta Therapy on Motor Control in Children With Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder

ADHD is generally associated with significant comorbidities including motor disorders in up to 96% of cases. Within these, disturbances of balance and motor coordination that interfere with school learning and daily activities are present in 47% of school children with ADHD. Therefore, the aim of this research is to determine whether Vojta therapy is beneficial for the improvement of balance, postural control, hand-eye coordination and manipulative motor skills in children with ADHD, hyperactive and/or combined, aged 6-12 years.

Study Overview

• Status: Completed
• Conditions: Attention Deficit Disorder With Hyperactivity
• Intervention / Treatment: Other: Vojta Therapy; Other: No intervetion

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Actual): 20
• Phase: Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

Study Locations

• Spain
  • Madrid
    • Alcorcón, Madrid, Spain, 28922
      • Universidad Rey Juan Carlos

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: Child
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: No

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

1. Have a diagnosis of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) of the combined or hyperkinetic type.
2. Be between 6 and 12 years of age.
3. Be under treatment with methylphenidate.
4. IQ of 100 or higher.
5. Have a normal neurological examination.
6. Not dysmorphic.
7. Not have received specific physiotherapy treatment for the improvement of balance and postural control in the two months prior to inclusion in the study.

Exclusion Criteria:

1. Present a diagnosis of ADHD comorbid with other neuropsychiatric pathologies.
2. Have a history of neurological or musculoskeletal disorders that are linked to a deficit in balance and/or postural control.
3. Be under treatment with atomoxetine.

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

• Primary Purpose: Treatment
• Allocation: Randomized
• Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
• Masking: Single

Number of Arms

2

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm	Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: Experimental group; This group is treated according to Vojta therapy	Other: Vojta Therapy; The intervention is carried out using Vojta therapy for one month, with one session per day, 5 days a week. This therapy is carried out by an expert physiotherapist. Vojta therapy is a non-experimental, painless, non-invasive therapy with no adverse effects, which is based on triggering repeated motor reactions or innate movement patterns (reflex locomotion patterns) in the trunk and limbs based on defined stimuli and starting from specific postures. Both groups will undertake a pre-treatment assessment, a post-treatment assessment at the end of the one-month intervention period, and a final follow-up assessment one month after the end of the intervention.
Other: Control group; This group does not receive treatment	Other: No intervetion; No intervetion group; Other Names: No intervention group

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Sensory organisation test (NEUROCOM dynamic posturology)	This test is a commonly used research tool in the assessment of the sensory organisation of postural control and has previously been used in children. The system's force platform provides data on the movement of the centre of gravity. Both the platform and the environment can move in response to the anteroposterior displacement of the child's body under certain conditions of sensory override or conflict. The child is asked to stand upright, barefoot, with arms alongside the body, feet placed in a certain position on the platform, for 20sec, trying to remain as stable as possible during the 3 trials of each of the 6 conditions of the SOT. For their safety, the child shall be restrained by a harness. In each test, the system compares the child's displacement with its theoretical limits of stability, generating a score. The higher the value, the better the stability. The software also calculates an overall score from the scores obtained in each of the 6 conditions	15 minutes

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Paediatric Balance Scale	This is a clinical scale used to assess balance in children aged 5 to 15 years. It consists of 14 items (each rated at 0-4 points), is easy to perform, does not require specialised equipment and takes less than 15 minutes to complete. It is considered the paediatric alternative to the Berg Balance Scale in school-aged children with mild to moderate motor impairment, with good intra- and inter-observer reliability.	15 minutes
Bruininks-Oseretsky Test (abbreviated version)	This test assesses agility and speed in running, balance, bilateral coordination, strength, coordination and response speed of the upper limb, visual-motor control and speed and dexterity of the upper limb. This test has been used in the ADHD population.	10 minutes
Paediatric Quality of Life Questionnaire	It is a widely studied and used instrument, designed for children, which has a generic module for paediatric quality of life, which also has specific modules for various chronic diseases and clinical situations. The different existing versions will be used depending on the age of the child (questionnaire for children aged 5 to 7 years and questionnaire for children aged 8 to 12 years) validated and translated into Spanish. Both questionnaires can be administered to the child or to the parents.	10 minutes

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: Universidad Rey Juan Carlos

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Actual): November 30, 2024
• Primary Completion (Actual): January 20, 2025
• Study Completion (Actual): March 3, 2025

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: October 31, 2024
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: October 31, 2024
• First Posted (Actual): November 1, 2024

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Actual): March 25, 2025
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: March 4, 2025
• Last Verified: March 1, 2025

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Keywords: postural control; Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder; balance; Vojta Therapy; visual motor coordination; manipulative skills
• Additional Relevant MeSH Terms: Neurologic Manifestations; Nervous System Diseases; Mental Disorders; Neurodevelopmental Disorders; Attention Deficit and Disruptive Behavior Disorders; Dyskinesias; Hyperkinesis; Attention Deficit Disorder with Hyperactivity
• Other Study ID Numbers: 09/2024

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

• Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?: YES

Drug and device information, study documents

• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product: No
• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product: No