Posture and visuomotor performance in children : the development of a novel measurement system

The aim of this thesis was to develop and test a platform which was capable of measuring the developmental trajectory of postural stability and fine motor control. Moreover, the thesis set out to explore the interdependence of these motor processes through synchronous measurement of postural and fine-motor control processes. The thesis introduces an objective, fine-motor measure sensitive enough to detect gender differences in children. This system was developed further to incorporate measures of postural sway, providing objective measures of postural performance that were capable of detecting age-dependant task-based manipulations of postural stability. Further development of the platform to incorporate low-cost consumer products allowed the cost barrier to large-scale measurement of posture to be addressed. This meant that accurate, synchronous and objective measurement of postural control and fine-motor control could take place outside of the laboratory environment. The developed system was deployed in schools and this allowed an investigation into the effect of seating on postural control. The results indicated that (a) seating attenuates the differences in postural control normally observed as a function of age; (b) postural control is modulated by task demands. Finally, the relationship between postural control and fine-motor control was investigated an interdependent functional relationship was found between manual control and postural stability development.