Development of postural sway in the normal child.

The postural sway was examined in 64 healthy children, aged 3.5 to 17 years. The recordings were done in ordinary standing posture on a force platform, with eyes open and closed. For children younger than 10 years, boys swayed more than girls. The sway amplitude decreased with age for boys, but not for girls. The decrease in sway was equally pronounced in sagittal and lateral direction. The amplitude of sway was higher in sagittal than in lateral direction.