The effect of interventional proprioceptive training on static balance and gait in deaf children.
A dozen balance games calm sway in deaf kids but leave walking speed untouched.
01Research in Context
What this study did
Majlesi et al. (2014) ran a 12-session proprioceptive balance program for deaf children.
Kids did static and dynamic balance games twice a week for six weeks.
Researchers tracked sway and gait speed before and after the program.
What they found
Postural sway dropped after training.
Walking speed stayed the same.
Balance got steadier, but walking did not speed up.
How this fits with other research
Walicka-Cupryś et al. (2014) seems to disagree. They found deaf children already balance better than hearing peers, especially with eyes closed. The difference is timing: Katarzyna measured baseline skill, while Mahdi tracked change after training.
Velghe et al. (2025) reviewed many balance programs for kids with developmental coordination disorder. Every style helped, but no single method won. Mahdi’s proprioceptive plan fits this bigger picture.
MacFarland et al. (2025) swapped clinic games for at-home exergaming. Six weeks of Wii-style play also lifted balance scores in children with DCD. Mahdi’s face-to-face drills and the gaming route both work.
Why it matters
If you serve deaf clients, short balance circuits can steady their stance. Add them to speech therapy, PE, or recess. Track sway with a simple force plate or phone app. Gains show up fast, even if walking speed stays flat.
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02At a glance
03Original abstract
Children with hearing impairment have balance and motor deficits primarily due to concomitant damage to the vestibular structures. Although early intervention focused on the development of communication skills, investigations of intervention for the amelioration of balance deficits in children with hearing loss have been minimal and inconclusive. Therefore, using an experimental design, the present study investigated the effect of a 12-session exercise balance program based on proprioception training on balance and gait in deaf as compared with hearing schoolchildren. The subjects, 10 deaf and 10 typically developing children were assigned to an experimental and a control group respectively. Taking up the initial differences between the groups through a pretest under different conditions, the participants in the experimental group went through a 12-session intervention program including static and dynamic training with emphasis on proprioceptive system. After this, the participants were tested again. The data obtained was analyzed using repeated measure. A comparison between the control and experimental groups revealed that the intervention program had not significantly increased gait velocity while it had significantly decreased the amount of sway. Thus, it was concluded that an exercise program that enhances somatosensory ability can result in improved balance in deaf children.
Research in developmental disabilities, 2014 · doi:10.1016/j.ridd.2014.09.001