Balance assessment in hearing-impaired children.
Deaf children show better static balance than hearing peers, especially with vision blocked, so tap their strong body-sense in therapy and play.
01Research in Context
What this study did
Walicka-Cupryś et al. (2014) watched deaf and hearing children stand still on a force plate. They tested kids with eyes open and eyes closed. The goal was to see who swayed less and what senses each group trusted most.
What they found
Deaf children stood steadier than hearing peers, especially when their eyes were closed. Less sway with no vision points to sharper body-sense or proprioceptive skills.
How this fits with other research
Majlesi et al. (2014) ran a 12-session balance program for deaf kids. Training cut sway even more, proving the good proprioception can be boosted.
Martín-Díaz et al. (2026) pooled 34 studies on autism and saw the opposite pattern: ASD youth show worse balance. Deaf kids' edge is not shared across all neurodevelopmental groups.
Villarroya et al. (2012) found teens with Down syndrome wobble more, again showing deaf children stand out with their steadiness.
Why it matters
If you serve deaf clients, expect them to look balanced on firm ground. Do not skip balance work, though. Use the strong proprioceptive channel for sport, dance, or safety drills. Add eyes-closed tasks to keep the edge sharp and to build confidence in dim or busy places.
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02At a glance
03Original abstract
According to the scientific reports the postural stability is inseparably associated with hearing organ's correct functioning. The aim of the study was to evaluate the degree of disorders occurring in balance reactions in this group of children with profound hearing loss compared to their healthy peers. The study worked with a total of 228 children, including 65 who are deaf (DCH) and 163 subjects without any hearing deficits (CON) in the control group. Stabilometric measurements were performed with the use of a force distribution platform. The results indicate statistically significant differences in terms of one parameter (the total path length) recorded in the test with the eyes open and a whole range of parameters recorded when the subjects had their eyes closed (the width, height, and area of the ellipse, the total path length, and the horizontal and vertical sway). The study results showed better values of the static balance parameters in deaf children as compared to their peers without hearing disorders and the differences were particularly evident in the test with the subject's eyes closed. The results suggest significantly better processing of sensory stimuli in postural reactions particularly from propioception, and to a lesser extent, from the vision system observed in the subjects as compared to their peers in the control group.
Research in developmental disabilities, 2014 · doi:10.1016/j.ridd.2014.07.008