SWOC Activities on Balance, Gait and Endurance in Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder

April 17, 2025 updated by: Riphah International University

Effects of Standardized Walking Obstacle Course (SWOC) Activities on Balance, Gait and Endurance in Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder

Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is a developmental disorder characterized by challenges in social communication, social interaction, repetitive behaviors, and restrictive interests.

Affecting 0.2-2% of children, ASD often includes motor growth retardation, which worsens over time. The disorder is more commonly diagnosed in boys, and its cause is believed to be genetic, with environmental stimuli potentially activating certain genes. This study aims to explore the effects of Standardized Walking Obstacle Course (SWOC) activities on balance, gait, and endurance in children with ASD, seeking to discover novel treatment techniques that could enhance clinical practices and improve motor skills in these children.

This randomized controlled trial will be conducted over 10 months, with data collected from the Lahore Autism Center and PSRD hospital in Lahore, Punjab. The sample will include 44 children with confirmed ASD, aged 8 to 12 years, divided into two groups: one undergoing SWOC activities and the other receiving conventional physiotherapy. Interventions will occur 4 days a week for 30-40 minutes each day. Pre- and post-treatment measurements will be taken using the Pediatric Balance Scale (PBS), the 6-Minute Walk Test (6MWT), and Functional Gait Assessment (FGA).

Data will be analyzed using SPSS version 24, with statistical significance set at P = 0.05.

Study Overview

Status

Recruiting

Conditions

Intervention / Treatment

Detailed Description

4 weeks treatment plan.

Group A: A randomized controlled trial investigate the effect of a standard walking obstacle course activities on balance, gait and endurance in children with ASD. Activity could include navigating obstacles of varying height and width balancing on beam, stepping over hurdles and walking on different surfaces. 2-3 times for 4 weeks. Balance beam Stepping stones Hurdle Markers Soft Mats Balance activities Gait and Endurance activities

Group B: Either receive no interventions or engages in a different form of physical activities that doesn't focus on balance gait and endurance e.g standard physical education activities like walking, running climbing, jumping along with applied behavioral therapy, speech therapy and customized physical therapy. 2-3 times for 4 weeks.

Study Type

Interventional

Enrollment (Estimated)

44

Phase

  • Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Contact

Study Contact Backup

Study Locations

  • Pakistan
    • Punjab
      • Lahore, Punjab, Pakistan, 54900
        • Recruiting
        • Rising Sun Institute
        • Contact:

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Ages Eligible for Study

  • Child

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Children with confirmed diagnosis of ASD.
  • Age of patients 8 to 12 year.
  • Both male and female.
  • Fall less than 15 times in 30 seconds in Flamingo balance scale test.

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Severe physical impairment.
  • Severe intellectual impairment.
  • Comorbid conditions that could prevent participation.

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

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

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm
Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: Group A
For Group A Standardized Walking Obstacle Course Activities at least 2-3 times a week during a 4-week period.
Other: Standardized Walking Course Activities

A randomized controlled trial investigate the effect of a standard walking obstacle course on balance, gait and endurance in children with ASD. Activity could include navigating obstacles of varying height and width balancing on beam, stepping over hurdles and walking on different surfaces.

  • Balance activities
  • Gait activities
  • Endurance activities Start with easier task and end with difficulties. SWOC activities performs 2 to 3 times a week for 4weeks.
Active Comparator: Group B
For Group B other physical activities at least 2-3 times a week during a 4-week period.
Other: Common Physical Activities
Either receive no interventions or engages in a different form of physical activities that doesn't focus on balance gait and endurance e.g standard physical education activities like walking, running, climbing, jumping along with applied behavioral therapy, speech therapy and customized physical therapy.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Pediatric Berg's balance scale for balance assessment
Time Frame: Baseline, 4th week

The Pediatric Balance Scale (PBS), a modification of Berg's Balance Scale, was developed as a balance measure for school-age children with mild to moderate motor impairments.

Scoring of PBS is from 0 to 56 and more scores means balance is good and less scores indicated poor balance.intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) model 3,1 = 0.998 or individual items Kappa Coefficients, k = 0.87 to 1.0; Spearman Rank Correlation Coefficients, r = 0.89 to 1.0 (21).

3.8.2.
Baseline, 4th week
6-minute walk test
Time Frame: Baseline, 4th week
The 6-minute walk test is a submaximal exercise test used to quantify the functional exercise capacity in clinical populations. Test-retest reliability was undertaken in 52 subjects, and the intraclass correlation coefficient (95% confidence interval) was calculated as 0.94 (0.89-0.96).
Baseline, 4th week
Gait outcome assessment list
Time Frame: Baseline, 4th week
Gait outcome assessment is used to measure and analyze an individual's walking ability, commonly employed in clinical settings for rehabilitation assessment or functional evaluation. It involves scoring parameters like speed, stride length, cadence, and balance during walking tests. The Intraclass Correlation Coefficient (ICC) is 0.89.
Baseline, 4th week

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

Riphah International University

Investigators

  • Principal Investigator: Kainat Subtain, MS-PPT, Riphah International University

Publications and helpful links

The person responsible for entering information about the study voluntarily provides these publications. These may be about anything related to the study.

General Publications

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start (Actual)

April 15, 2025

Primary Completion (Estimated)

May 15, 2025

Study Completion (Estimated)

May 31, 2025

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

April 17, 2025

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

April 17, 2025

First Posted (Actual)

April 24, 2025

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

April 24, 2025

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

April 17, 2025

Last Verified

April 1, 2025

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

  • REC/RCR/AHS/25/Kainat Subtain

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

NO

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

No

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

No

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

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