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<H1><A NAME="SECTION00010000000000000000">Abstract</A></H1>
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In very young children, immature control of posture and gait results in
unsteady locomotion. By about three years of age, gait appears
relatively mature; however, it is unknown whether the
dynamics of walking change beyond this age. Because stride dynamics
depend on neural control, we hypothesized that gait
dynamics would continue to develop beyond age three. To test this
hypothesis, we measured the gait cycle duration on a stride-by-stride
basis in fifty healthy children (25 girls) ages 3 to 14 years old. Measures of
stride-to-stride variability were significantly larger both in the 3
and 4 year olds compared to the 6 and 7 year olds and in the 6 and 7
year olds compared to the 11 to 14 year olds. Measures of the
temporal organization of gait also revealed significant age-dependent
changes. The effects of age persisted even after adjusting for
height. These findings indicate that mature stride dynamics may not
be completely developed even in healthy 7 year old children and that
different aspects of stride dynamics mature at different ages.
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Key Words: age, walking, spectral analysis, fractal analysis
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