The experiment in question required required adult participants (with and without DCD) to walk up to and through differently sized apertures. The apertures were scaled to the shoulder width of the participants and were: 0.9, 1.1, 1.3, 1.5, 1.7, 1.9 and 2.1 times shoulder width. Movement was measured using a VICON system and by attaching marking on the left and right acroniom process and on C7. A number of different variables were measured during the approach and passage through the aperture. These included, walking speed, shoulder rotation while passing through the aperture and medio-lateral trunk movement during the approach. The full methods and the data are described in: (TBA once the paper is published) During everyday life we walk around busy environments, negotiating stationary and moving obstacles. This is usually performed effortlessly but actually involves complex skills to visually monitor the environment and control body movements. For individuals with coordination difficulties this presents a real challenge and can have a negative impact on safe participation at school or work and in everyday life. This project will consider several aspects of obstacle avoidance and navigation in children and adults with and without Developmental Coordination Disorder (DCD). DCD is characterized by everyday motor problems in the absence of sensory, intellectual or neurological impairment. The condition occurs in almost 2% of children and usually continues into adulthood. Primarily the project will focus on locomotion while negotiating a gap/aperture between obstacles such as that created by a doorway or parked cars. Such a task has both a perceptual element and a motor element. We plan to consider the perceptual element both in isolation and within a movement context. Finally the project will consider navigation of unpredictable or changing environments. The proposed research will further our understanding of the mechanisms underlying DCD and thereby assist in planning more effective interventions to support motor learning.

Various kinematic measures were taken while participants walked up to and through various sized apertures. A VICON system with 12 cameras running at 100Hz captured the movement of markers on the left and right acroniom process and C7. Participants approached each aperture, starting 4m away and passed through, turning the shoulders if necessary. Apertures were scaled to shoulder width:0.9, 1.1, 1.3, 1.5, 1.7, 1.9 and 2.1 times shoulder width We measured: Baseline sway of the shoulders during the approach Shoulder angle compared to the frontal plane when the participant was at the aperture Approach speed Reduction in speed (if there was one) Time left after initiation of the reduction in speed Lateral trunk movement during the approach Participants were 15 adults with Developmental Coordination Disorder and 15 typically developing participants who were age and gender matched.