Postural Control

The complex nature of the postural control system makes it vulnerable to adverse conditions during early life, such as prenatally or perinatally acquired lesions of the brain or preterm birth. Children with disorders of the developing brain nearly always have dysfunctions in postural control. The postural control system of children with other neurodevelopmental disabilities such as myelomeningocele or muscle disease is also challenged: it has to find age-specific solutions for the postural problems posed by the disorder. These postural problems have serious consequences for the activities of daily life, as adequate postural control is a prerequisite for adequate motility. Until now, knowledge about the nature of postural problems in children has been scattered, and this has hampered the development of appropriate therapeutic management strategies. This book is a breakthrough in that it introduces the reader to the complexity of typical and atypical postural development and provides suggestions for the day-to-day management of postural problems in children with developmental disorders such as cerebral palsy, developmental coordination disorder, muscle disorder and myelomeningocoele. ‘This should be a “must read” for anyone whose occupation or interests are in the areas of motor development or rehabilitation.’ Diane Damiano

Clinics in Developmental Medicine No. 179

AUTHORS’ APPOINTMENTS vii

FOREWORD ix

1. INTRODUCTION: WHY BOTHER ABOUT POSTURAL CONTROL? 1

Mijna Hadders-Algra and Eva Brogren Carlberg

2. WHAT IS POSTURE AND HOW IS IT CONTROLLED? 3

Mark Latash and Mijna Hadders-Algra

3. DEVELOPMENT OF POSTURAL CONTROL 22

Mijna Hadders-Algra

4. POSTURAL CONTROL IN SITTING CHILDREN WITH CEREBRAL

PALSY 74

Eva Brogren Carlberg and Mijna Hadders-Algra

5. POSTURAL CONTROL IN STANDING AND WALKING IN

CHILDREN WITH CEREBRAL PALSY 97

Marjorie Hines Woollacott and Paolo Crenna

6. POSTURAL CONTROL IN CHILDREN WITH DOWN SYNDROME 131

Naznin Virji-Babul and Mark L. Latash

7. POSTURAL CONTROL IN CHILDREN WITH ANGELMAN

SYNDROME AND RETT SYNDROME 148

Bernard Dan and Guy Cheron

8. POSTURAL CONTROL IN CHILDREN WITH

MYELOMENINGOCELE 170

Simone Norrlin and Birgit Rosblad

9. POSTURAL CONTROL IN CHILDREN WITH MUSCLE DISEASE 187

Eugenio Mercuri, Maria Kinali and Marion Main

10. POSTURAL CONTROL IN CHILDREN BORN PRETERM 203

Bjorg Fallang and Doreen Bartlett

11. POSTURAL CONTROL IN CHILDREN WITH DEVELOPMENTAL

COORDINATION DISORDER 229

Reint H. Geuze and Peter H. Wilson

12. POSTURAL CONTROL IN CHILDREN WITH AUTISM SPECTRUM

DISORDER 253

Christina Schmitz and Christine Assaiante

13. MANAGEMENT AND TREATMENT OF POSTURAL DYSFUNCTION

IN CHILDREN WITH CEREBRAL PALSY 270

Eva Brogren Carlberg and Eva Bower

14. MANAGEMENT OF POSTURAL DYSFUNCTION IN CHILDREN

WITH MINOR DEVELOPMENTAL DISORDERS 299

Marina M. Schoemaker and Mijna Hadders-Algra

15. CONCLUDING REMARKS 315

Mijna Hadders-Algra and Eva Brogren Carlberg

INDEX