Evaluation of the Pediatric Clinical Test of Sensory Interaction for Balance in Children Aged 6-9 Years

Objective: The Pediatric Clinical Test of Sensory Interaction for Balance (P-CTSIB) provides information on the utilization and integration of sensory inputs as well as postural sway during postural control tasks under various static conditions in children.The evaluation of the P-CTSIB performance in healthy children aged 6-9 years aims to obtain normative data.Methods: A total of 81 children aged 6-9 years were included in the study.The participants were asked to maintain an upright posture in two different stance positions (feet together and heel-toe position) under six test conditions: eyes open or closed on a firm surface with a dome, and eyes open or closed on a foam pad with a dome.The amount of postural sway (anterior-posterior/medial-lateral), test duration, and test scores for each condition were recorded, and the data were compared across groups.Results: In the study, descriptive statistics for the sway, test duration, and test scores obtained under all conditions in the feet together and heel-toe positions were determined.No significant difference was found between genders in terms of sway, duration, and scores under all test conditions.In the feet together position, a significant difference was found between groups in terms of sway in three test conditions and test scores in four test conditions.In the heel-toe position, a significant difference was found between groups in terms of sway measured in 4 test conditions and test scores in 2 test conditions (p<0.05). Conclusion:The P-CTSIB is a cost-free test that can assess postural sway under different static test conditions without the need for any equipment.Measuring postural sway provides valuable information in the assessment of balance.It is expected that our findings will serve as a foundation for ensuring the availability of the test in our country.Age-specific normative data obtained from Turkish children will provide reference data for future studies involving children with balance-affecting pathologies.