Comparison of Postural Control Among College Students With and Without Autism Spectrum Disorder

Objectives Impairments in postural stability are present in children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), but documentation of impairments as individuals age into adulthood are sparse and have yielded inconsistent results. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to assess postural control of college students with and without ASD during four conditions: eyes open and eyes closed, for both single- and double-leg stances. Methods Twenty participants (10 with ASD and 10 without ASD) between the ages of 18 and 30 performed three quiet standing trials in each of the four conditions. Antero-posterior (A-P) and medio-lateral (M-L) sway and sway velocity, as well as sway area and stance time, were calculated for each condition and compared between groups. Results In the double-leg eyes open and eyes closed conditions, A-P displacement and sway area were greater in individuals with ASD. There were no differences in sway between groups in the single-leg eyes open condition. Individuals with ASD demonstrated much shorter stance times than individuals without ASD in the single-leg eyes closed condition. Conclusions Young adults with ASD display less postural stability in both simple and complex balance tasks than young adults without ASD. It appears that the balance abnormalities reported in children with ASD persist into adulthood.