Improvement of balance in a 7-year-old child through a six-week learning programme

Abstract

Given that human beings are constantly subjected to equilibration processes, developing basic perceptual motor skills, especially balance, is important. The main purpose of this study is the validation of the tasks and the progression of activities that form the learning programme for balance development in a six-week didactic unit of 12 sessions (2 sessions per week), for 6 to 9-year-old children (1st, 2nd, and 3rd grade of elementary school in Brazil). The changes in balance after applying the programme are also analysed through a new measuring protocol using baropodometry. Although the session was put into practice in a class of 28 children, data were extracted from a 7-year-old child. This is a single-case study in which analysis has been performed measuring pressure, surface and area, points of peak plantar pressure, and stabilometry, with the help of a baropodometer. Results obtained show the highest score areas are in the Quartiles (Q) forming the hindfoot (A= 60.40 cm2; SD= 3.68 cm2; p=.047), with a higher score in the peak pressure of Q2, located in the forefoot, (A= 0.54 kgf/cm2; SD= 0.04 kgf/cm2; p= .030), and improvement in lateral oscillation of dominant foot (A= 1.12 Hz; SD= .00 Hz; p= .00). The data obtained show the participation of the 7-year-old child in the balance development learning programme improves the area and the surface of support of the Centre of Pressure (COP) in both feet, particularly in the dominant.