PURPOSE: to check how is the child's spatial perception in vestibular disorder. METHODS: prospective study of 18 children, between 3 and 15-year old, under treatment in Ambulatório de Otorrinolaringologia/Hospital das Clínicas da Faculdade de Medicina da Universidade de São Paulo. Space perception was assessed through a free activity (free drawing) and two directed activities: the Frostig test and an adaptation of the Token Test. Of the 18 evaluated children, 09 composed the study group (diagnosed as having a vestibular disorder) and 09 composed the control group (with no history of vestibular disorder or dizziness). Children who showed central nervous system impairments were excluded. RESULTS: in relation to the free drawing, 77.78% of the control group and 55.55% in the study group used the whole sheet of paper provided. Regarding the proportion of the objects, 100% of the control group showed an adequate proportion in their drawings and it was found in 48.86% of the study group. In the adapted Token Test, the study group showed a major difficulty. In the Frostig test, a small difference between the groups in the Perceptual quotient was observed. CONCLUSION: the children with vestibular disorders, while drawing, used the sheet of paper in a less homogeneous way, showing more difficulty to draw human pictures and an inadequate proportion among the drawn objects. In this way, it is important that the vestibular diagnosis should be done the earliest possible in order to anticipate the treatment/rehabilitation. This may prevent the impairment of spatial perception from negatively influencing the learning process.
Dizziness; Vertigo; Child; Space Perception
