Effects of Gaze Stabilization Exercises on Dynamic Balance and Gait Ability in Ambulatory School-Aged Children with Cerebral Palsy -A Pilot Study-

Purpose:The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effects of gaze stabilization exercises (GSE) on dynamic balance and gait in school-aged children with cerebral palsy (CP).This pilot study aimed to preliminarily examine the applicability and potential clinical effects of GSE in school-aged children with CP, and to provide foundational evidence for the development of new intervention strategies as well as for the feasibility and design of future large-scale studies.Methods: Four school-aged children with cerebral palsy participated in an 8-week intervention.Period A consisted of an intervention including GSE, whereas Period B consisted of an intervention without GSE.Assessments were conducted at three time points: before the intervention, after Period A, and after Period B. Dynamic balance was evaluated using the Timed Up and Go test and Limit of Stability, and gait ability was assessed using the 10-Meter Walking Test and the Functional Gait Assessment.Repeated measures ANOVA was used to compare changes across time points, and the Wilcoxon signed-rank test was employed to compare change scores between intervention phases.Results: All assessment tools used to measure dynamic balance and gait ability showed large effect size differences in change scores between Period A and Period B (r > .5). Conclusion:The acceptability of GSE was confirmed in school-aged children with CP, and these findings may serve as foundational data for the design of future large-scale randomized controlled trials (RCTs) in this population.