Search for Articles:
Title / Keyword
Author / Affiliation / Email
Journal
Article Type
 
 
Advanced Search
 
Section
Special Issue
Volume
Issue
Number
Page
 
3.8
2.1
Journals
Children
Special Issues
Movement Disorders in Children: Challenges and Opportunities
share announcement

Movement Disorders in Children: Challenges and Opportunities

A special issue of Children (ISSN 2227-9067). This special issue belongs to the section "Pediatric Neurology & Neurodevelopmental Disorders".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (5 February 2026) | Viewed by 5538

Special Issue Editors

Prof. Dr. María Carratalá-Tejada

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Physiotherapy, Occupational Therapy, Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation Department, Universidad Rey Juan Carlos, Campus de Alcorcón, Av. de Atenas S/N, Alcorcón, 28922 Madrid, Spain
Interests: child rehabilitation; motor development; neurorehabilitation; movement analysis; biomechanics
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Prof. Dr. Alicia Cuesta-Gómez

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Physiotherapy, Occupational Therapy, Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation Department, Universidad Rey Juan Carlos, Campus de Alcorcón, Av. de Atenas S/N, Alcorcón, 28922 Madrid, Spain
Interests: child rehabilitation; motor development; neurorehabilitation; movement analysis; biomechanics
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Correct motor development in children is essential to acquire all the motor skills necessary for independence in daily activities. However, alterations in this development are very common disorders, such as movement disorders throughout a child's developmental stage, and can limit the acquisition of gross and fine motor skills.

This Special Issue of Children focuses on the different alterations in motor development in children who present with some type of neurological pathology, such as cerebral palsy, autism spectrum disorder, myopathies, minor neurological dysfunctions, etc., or those who do not present with neurological damage but present deficits in motor development, such as children who are preterm or present with developmental coordination disorders, among others.

Papers addressing these topics are invited for this Special Issue.

Prof. Dr. María Carratalá-Tejada
Prof. Dr. Alicia Cuesta-Gómez
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Children is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • motor development
  • postural control
  • children
  • child rehabilitation
  • gross motor skills
  • fine motor skills

Benefits of Publishing in a Special Issue

  • Ease of navigation: Grouping papers by topic helps scholars navigate broad scope journals more efficiently.
  • Greater discoverability: Special Issues support the reach and impact of scientific research. Articles in Special Issues are more discoverable and cited more frequently.
  • Expansion of research network: Special Issues facilitate connections among authors, fostering scientific collaborations.
  • External promotion: Articles in Special Issues are often promoted through the journal's social media, increasing their visibility.
  • Reprint: MDPI Books provides the opportunity to republish successful Special Issues in book format, both online and in print.

Further information on MDPI's Special Issue policies can be found here.

Published Papers (4 papers)

Download All Papers
Order results
Result details
Show export options expand_more Show export options expand_less
Select all
Export citation of selected articles as:

Research

Jump to: Other

23 pages, 7558 KB  
Article
Instrumented Assessment of Gait in Pediatric Cancer Survivors: Identifying Functional Impairments After Oncological Treatment—A Pilot Study
by María Carratalá-Tejada, Diego Fernández-Vázquez, Víctor Navarro-López, Juan Aboitiz-Cantalapiedra, Francisco Molina-Rueda, Blanca López-Ibor Aliño and Alicia Cuesta-Gómez
Children 2026, 13(1), 96; https://doi.org/10.3390/children13010096 - 9 Jan 2026
Viewed by 649
Abstract
Background/Objectives: Pediatric cancer survivors frequently experience neuromuscular sequelae related to chemotherapy-induced neurotoxicity. Agents such as vincristine, methotrexate, and platinum compounds can lead to persistent gait alterations and sensorimotor deficits that impair mobility and quality of life. This study aimed to objectively assess [...] Read more.
Background/Objectives: Pediatric cancer survivors frequently experience neuromuscular sequelae related to chemotherapy-induced neurotoxicity. Agents such as vincristine, methotrexate, and platinum compounds can lead to persistent gait alterations and sensorimotor deficits that impair mobility and quality of life. This study aimed to objectively assess gait in pediatric cancer survivors after the completion of oncological pharmacological treatment to identify specific spatiotemporal, kinematic, and kinetic alterations and characterize neuromechanical patterns associated with neurotoxic exposure. Methods: A cross-sectional observational study was conducted including pediatric cancer survivors (6–18 years) who had completed chemotherapy and age- and sex-matched healthy controls. Gait was analyzed using a Vicon®3D motion capture system, with reflective markers placed on standardized anatomical landmarks. Spatiotemporal, kinematic, and kinetic variables were compared between groups using parametric tests and statistical parametric mapping (SPM) with Holm–Bonferroni correction (α = 0.05). Results: Pediatric cancer survivors showed slower gait velocity (Mean Difference (MD) = 0.17, p = 0.018, Confidence Interval CI95% = 0.04; 0.4), shorter step (MD = 0.1, p = 0.015, CI95% = 0.01; 0.19) and stride length (MD = 0.17, p = 0.018, CI95% = 0.03; 0.31), as well as reduced single support time (MD = 0.1, p = 0.043, CI95% = 0.01; 0.19), along with significant alterations in pelvic, hip, knee, and ankle kinematics compared with controls. Increased pelvic elevation (MD = 0.92, p = 0.018, CI95% = 0.25; 1.58), reduced hip extension during stance (MD = −2.99, p = 0.039, CI95% = −5.19; −0.74), knee hyperextension in mid-stance (MD = −3.84, p < 0.001, CI95% = −6.18; −0.72), and limited ankle dorsiflexion (MAS MD = −4.04, p < 0.001, CI95% = −6.79; −0.86, LAS MD = −3.16, p < 0.001) and plantarflexor moments in terminal stance (MAS MD = −149.65, p = 0.018, CI95% = −259.35; −48.25, LAS MD = −191.81, p = 0.008, CI95% = −323.81; −57.31) were observed. Ground reaction force peaks during loading response (MAS MD = −16.86, p < 0.001, CI95% = −26.12; −0.72 LAS MD = −11.74, p = 0.001, CI95% = −19.68; −3.94) and foot-off (MAS MD = 10.38, p = 0.015, CI95% = 0.41; 20.53, LAS MD = 11.88, p = 0.01, CI95% = 3.15; 22.38) were also reduced. Conclusions: Children who have completed chemotherapy present measurable gait deviations reflecting persistent neuromechanical impairment, likely linked to chemotherapy-induced neurotoxicity and deconditioning. Instrumented gait analysis allows early detection of these alterations and may support the design of targeted rehabilitation strategies to optimize functional recovery and long-term quality of life in pediatric cancer survivors. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Movement Disorders in Children: Challenges and Opportunities)
►▼ Show Figures

Figure 1

14 pages, 1393 KB  
Article
Kinetics and Kinematics of Shape Tracing in Children with Probable Developmental Coordination Disorder (pDCD)
by Michal Hochhauser, Yfat Ben Refael, Esther Adi-Japha and Rachel Bartov
Children 2025, 12(1), 90; https://doi.org/10.3390/children12010090 - 15 Jan 2025
Viewed by 3152
Abstract
Background: Children with developmental coordination disorder (DCD) exhibit visual–motor deficits affecting handwriting. Shape tracing, a key prerequisite for handwriting, supports motor and cognitive development but remains underexplored in research, particularly in objectively studying its role in children with DCD. Objectives: To compare the [...] Read more.
Background: Children with developmental coordination disorder (DCD) exhibit visual–motor deficits affecting handwriting. Shape tracing, a key prerequisite for handwriting, supports motor and cognitive development but remains underexplored in research, particularly in objectively studying its role in children with DCD. Objectives: To compare the kinetics (pressure applied to the writing surface) and kinematics (spatial and temporal aspects) of shape tracing in children with pDCD to those of typically developing (TD) peers utilizing a digitized tablet. Methods: A total of 27 children with pDCD aged 7 to 12 years and 27 TD children matched by age and gender traced five unique shapes resembling print letters onto a digitized tablet. Participants’ performance measurements included precision, time, smoothness, velocity, and pressure. Results: The findings revealed lower precision, longer duration, more smoothness but less consistency, lower velocity, and less pressure application in the pDCD group. Conclusions: This research underlies the mechanisms of shape-tracing difficulties in children with DCD. Insights into early shape-tracing processes beyond product outcomes are essential for therapeutic and educational interventions, with digitized tablets offering a novel tool for assessing graphomotor skills in children with DCD. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Movement Disorders in Children: Challenges and Opportunities)
►▼ Show Figures

Figure 1

Other

Jump to: Research

8 pages, 622 KB  
Case Report
Episodic Ataxia Type 2 Presenting with Fluctuating Weakness in a Child with a De Novo CACNA1A Variant
by Sungyeon Park, Hyunwoo Bae, Soonhak Kwon and Yun Jeong Lee
Children 2026, 13(4), 488; https://doi.org/10.3390/children13040488 - 31 Mar 2026
Viewed by 257
Abstract
Background: Episodic ataxia type 2 (EA2) is the most common subtype of episodic ataxia and is primarily caused by pathogenic variants in the CACNA1A gene. Although classically characterized by paroxysmal ataxia, CACNA1A-related disorders are increasingly recognized as an age-dependent phenotypic continuum that [...] Read more.
Background: Episodic ataxia type 2 (EA2) is the most common subtype of episodic ataxia and is primarily caused by pathogenic variants in the CACNA1A gene. Although classically characterized by paroxysmal ataxia, CACNA1A-related disorders are increasingly recognized as an age-dependent phenotypic continuum that extends beyond episodic cerebellar dysfunction to include fluctuating weakness, persistent neurological signs, and neurodevelopmental impairments. Case report: A 12-year-old boy presented with episodic vertigo. His medical history was notable for infantile paroxysmal tonic upward gaze beginning at 6 months of age. From the age of 7 years, he developed frequent episodes of vertigo and ataxia lasting 2 to 3 h. At 10 years of age, he experienced an episode of acute lower limb weakness with diminished deep tendon reflexes, without prominent ataxia. Guillain–Barré syndrome was initially suspected, and he received two courses of intravenous immunoglobulin, with only transient improvement. Neurophysiological studies were largely unremarkable, except for an isolated decremental response on repetitive nerve stimulation. In addition to paroxysmal events, he exhibited persistent interictal cerebellar signs, including dysmetria, dysdiadochokinesia, and downbeat nystagmus. Neuropsychological testing revealed mild intellectual disability with prominent visuospatial deficits. Trio-based whole-exome sequencing identified a de novo CACNA1A splice donor variant (c.978 + 1G > A), confirming the diagnosis of EA2. Treatment with acetazolamide resulted in marked improvement in episodic ataxic events. Conclusions: This case highlights EA2 as part of a broader CACNA1A-related phenotypic continuum rather than a purely paroxysmal disorder. Awareness of atypical and age-dependent manifestations is crucial to avoid diagnostic pitfalls and to facilitate the timely initiation of targeted therapy and appropriate developmental support. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Movement Disorders in Children: Challenges and Opportunities)
►▼ Show Figures

Figure 1

21 pages, 1669 KB  
Systematic Review
Exposure and Predictive Factors of Postural Development from the Perspective of the Reliability of Their Measurement Tools: A Systematic Review
by Tania Mirón-Pérez, Juan Luis Sánchez-González, Víctor Navarro-López, Mónica Menendez-Pardiñas and Sanz-Esteban I
Children 2026, 13(1), 76; https://doi.org/10.3390/children13010076 - 3 Jan 2026
Viewed by 751
Abstract
Postural alignment can be influenced by intrinsic and extrinsic factors; failure to control these confounding factors and the use of invalid tools increase the risk of bias and may distort the results. Objective: The first objective is to identify the confounding factors that [...] Read more.
Postural alignment can be influenced by intrinsic and extrinsic factors; failure to control these confounding factors and the use of invalid tools increase the risk of bias and may distort the results. Objective: The first objective is to identify the confounding factors that may influence the evaluation of body posture in children. The second objective is to determine which methods or tools are used to analyze postural alignment and to review the evidence regarding their validity and reliability, in order to strengthen the credibility of the results obtained. Methods: A systematic review was performed following the PRISMA 2020 criteria. Eligible studies were searched in the Virtual Health Library, Scopus, Medline, Web of Science, PEDro, and the Cochrane Library throughout the entire month of December 2024. Observational studies written in English, Portuguese, or Spanish that analyzed body posture (as the dependent variable) in children under 12 years of age were included. Articles not available in full text or those that assessed only a single body region were excluded. The methodological quality of the studies was assessed using the Newcastle–Ottawa scale, while the ROBINS-E tool was used to assess risk of bias. The synthesis of results was presented as a narrative review. Results: A total of 42 observational articles were included. No meta-analysis was conducted, and the findings are synthesized through a narrative review. The ROBINS-E tool showed a generalized result of high risk of bias, while the Newcastle–Ottawa scale reported moderate quality for longitudinal and case–control studies, with worse scores for cross-sectional studies. Methodological limitations: The differences found in the designs, population, and outcome measures generate high methodological variability that limits the possibility of quantitative synthesis. Likewise, the available evidence on the reliability of the tools is insufficient, which conditions the interpretation of the reported results. Conclusions: The findings with the strongest scientific support suggest that anthropometric variables or those related to body composition may be associated with body alignment. By contrast, there is still controversy regarding the influence of sex and age on postural variables. Sport modality or the weight of the school backpack could also play a role in posture; however, more high-quality studies are needed to contrast the results. The quality of the evidence is limited by heterogeneity in study designs, insufficient control of confounding factors, and the use of tools with inadequate validity and reliability. Other: The study was registered in PROSPERO under the number CRD42024618753. This research received no external funding. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Movement Disorders in Children: Challenges and Opportunities)
►▼ Show Figures

Figure 1

Show export options expand_more Show export options expand_less
Select all
Export citation of selected articles as:
 
Displaying articles 1-4
Back to TopTop