Balance And Foot Posture In Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder

September 5, 2025 updated by: Güllü Aydın Yağcıoğlu, Gulhane School of Medicine

Balance In Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder: The Role Of Foot Posture And Anthropometry

The position of the ankle and foot is known as foot posture, and this can have an impact on balance and mobility. Previous research has shown that differences in foot structure and posture between different populations can have a significant impact on balance. However, to our knowledge, no study has examined the relationship between foot posture, anthropometry, muscle strength, and balance in children with Autism Spectrum Disorder. This study was therefore designed to analyse these relationships.

Study Overview

Status

Completed

Conditions

Intervention / Treatment

Study Type

Observational

Enrollment (Actual)

22

Contacts and Locations

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

Study Locations

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
  • Adult

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Sampling Method

Non-Probability Sample

Study Population

The study included individuals aged 5-18 with a diagnosis of Autism Spectrum Disorder

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Aged 5-18.
  • Clinical diagnosis of ASD.

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Lack of parental consent;
  • Use of assistive devices;
  • Presence of vision or hearing loss;
  • Use of medications known to impair motor function, such as antipsychotics, stimulants or anticonvulsants;
  • Having undergone any lower extremity injury or surgery in the past six months;
  • Not being able to follow the commands necessary to obtain the study data.

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

Cohorts and Interventions

Group / Cohort
Intervention / Treatment
Autism Spectrum Disorder
Autism spectrum disorders (ASD) are complex neurodevelopmental conditions characterised by deficits in communication and reciprocal social interactions, as well as restricted interests and repetitive behaviours. Although motor impairments have been recognised as limiting daily motor skills, they are not included in the DSM-5 diagnostic criteria for ASD. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention published an estimate that the prevalence of ASD in the US population was approximately 1 in 54 eight-year-old children (around 1.85% of the child population). Furthermore, the World Health Organization (WHO) documented a worldwide prevalence of approximately 0.76% in 2010 (affecting nearly 1.16% of the entire child population).
Other: Performance-based tests (such as TUG, foot posture measurements, Tandem Gait test) will be administered to children with ASD.
Children with ASD underwent balance and foot measurement tests that they could perform only by following instructions.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Foot Posture Assessment
Time Frame: Baseline
Foot Posture Assessment: Children's foot posture will be assessed using the Foot Posture Index (FPI-6), which is valid for pediatric individuals. The Foot Posture Index is a scale consisting of a total of 6 items related to the posture of the rear foot and forefoot. These items are talar head palpation, the position of the inclinations above and below the lateral malleolus, the position of the calcaneus, ballooning in the talonavicular joint region, the structure of the medial longitudinal arch, and the abduction/adduction of the forefoot relative to the rearfoot. The total score in this assessment tool ranges from -12 to 12.
Baseline
Timed Up and Go (TUG) test
Time Frame: Baseline
Timed Up and Go (TUG) test: For this test, individuals are seated in a chair. The individual is asked to stand up from the chair without assistance, walk three meters on the marked floor, walk back to the chair, and sit down again. The stopwatch is started with the "start" command and stopped when the individual sits down. The TUG time is recorded in seconds (s).
Baseline
One-Leg Standing Test
Time Frame: Baseline
One-Leg Standing Test: During this test, which is used to assess an individual's static balance, the subject will be asked to lift one leg without touching the supporting leg, keeping their eyes open, and the time spent on one leg will be recorded in seconds.
Baseline

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Foot-Ankle Anthropometric Measurements
Time Frame: Baseline
Foot-Ankle Anthropometric Measurements: For the foot-ankle anthropometry of patients, foot length (cm), metatarsal width (cm), and navicular drop height (cm) will be assessed with and without body weight applied to the foot.
Baseline
Foot Muscle Strength
Time Frame: Baseline
Foot Muscle Strength: Foot plantar flexion and dorsiflexion muscle strength will be assessed using a digital hand dynamometer.
Baseline
Tandem Walking Test
Time Frame: Baseline
Tandem Walking Test: The tandem walking test is used to assess dynamic balance. The subject will be asked to walk along a line drawn on the floor, with the heel of one foot touching the toe of the other foot. The duration of the tandem walk will be measured for each walk, consisting of 10 steps. If balance is lost and the participant is unable to complete 10 steps, the number of steps taken and the duration will be recorded.
Baseline

Collaborators and Investigators

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

Sponsor

Gulhane School of Medicine

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)

September 15, 2024

Primary Completion (Actual)

January 15, 2025

Study Completion (Actual)

June 15, 2025

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

August 29, 2025

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

September 5, 2025

First Posted (Estimated)

September 9, 2025

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Estimated)

September 9, 2025

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

September 5, 2025

Last Verified

September 1, 2025

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

  • AFB

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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