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This study examined three theories that have been proposed to explain the high rates of ambiguous hand preference in young children with autism. Twenty children with autism were matched with 20 children with developmental delays and 20 normally developing children. The groups were compared on measures of hand preference and motor skills. Results in...
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Embodied robots are known to be preferable in most cases to their virtual agents for interaction with and performance by human subjects. This study compared the efficacy of an embodied robot-coacher and its virtual agent in involving preschool children in the performance of playlike motor tasks. The robot or its virtual agent demonstrated movements...
Citations
... As hypothesized, lower average scores were identified across many motor tests in the ASD group, including dominant hand and left hand finger tapping speed, bilateral manual dexterity, and motor coordination and visual-motor integration on the VMI, whereas no group differences were identified in grip strength. These results are consistent with other research that has demonstrated slower finger tapping in those with higher autistic traits (ages 18-78) (27), difficulty with tasks that require hand-eye-coordination in autistic children and adults (ages 5-33 years) (26) visual-motor integration in autistic children and youth (ages 9-15) (14), and dissociation between hand preference and performance in autistic individuals (62,63). ...
Introduction
This study investigated the associations between fine motor skills and expressive verbal abilities in a group of 97 autistic participants (age 8-17, mean=12.41) and 46 typically developing youth (age 8-17, mean=12.48).
Methods
Participants completed assessments of motor and verbal communication skills, including finger tapping speed, grooved pegboard, grip strength, visual-motor integration tasks, and measures of speech and communication skills. ASD group performance on motor tests was compared to controls. Non-parametric tests were used to analyze group differences and correlations between motor and verbal communication skills. Based on prior research, we hypothesized that individuals on the autism spectrum would exhibit deficits in fine motor speed, dexterity, pencil motor control, but not manual motor strength. Additionally, we expected that impaired fine motor skills would be linked to poorer performance on standardized measures of verbal abilities.
Results
The results indicated that 80% of autistic participants demonstrated an impairment on at least one measure of motor skills, and as a group, they exhibited significantly poorer fine motor performance compared to the non-ASD group in dominant hand finger tapping speed, bilateral fine motor dexterity measured via the grooved pegboard task, and pencil motor coordination and visual-motor integration measured on the Beery-Buktenica Developmental Test of Visual-Motor Integration-Sixth Edition. Moreover, impaired fine motor skills were associated with poorer performance on standardized clinical measures of verbal abilities, including articulation errors, receptive and expressive language and vocabulary, rapid naming, oromotor sequencing, and parent reported functional communication skills and social communication symptoms.
Discussion
Overall,our findings suggest there is a high prevalence of fine motor impairments in ASD, and these impairments were associated with a range of verbal abilities. Further research is warranted to better understand the underlying mechanisms of these associations and develop targeted interventions to address both fine motor and verbal impairments in ASD.
... (3) Right-handedness. Hauck and Dewey (2001) found that autistic children with a distinct hand preference outperformed their counterparts without such a preference in motor, linguistic, and cognitive tasks (Hauck and Dewey, 2001). To mitigate any disparity affecting our experiment's outcomes, we specifically chose right-handed participants, instructing them to consistently use their right-hand middle finger for the Go/No-Go task. ...
... (3) Right-handedness. Hauck and Dewey (2001) found that autistic children with a distinct hand preference outperformed their counterparts without such a preference in motor, linguistic, and cognitive tasks (Hauck and Dewey, 2001). To mitigate any disparity affecting our experiment's outcomes, we specifically chose right-handed participants, instructing them to consistently use their right-hand middle finger for the Go/No-Go task. ...
Introduction
This study investigates the efficacy of sensory integration training (SIT) in enhancing balance and executive functions in children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), with the aim of highlighting its potential for organizing and processing sensory information in the brain.
Methods
Utilizing Footscan for biomechanical evidence and functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) for neural activation, we engaged two participant groups: a control group (n = 9) and an experimental group (n = 9). Assessments involved the Sharpened Romberg Test (SRT) for balance under varied visual conditions and the Go/No-Go task for executive function.
Results
The SIT intervention significantly improved balance function, particularly in Visual Deprivation (VD) scenarios. Neurophysiological data revealed heightened activation in the right Inferior Frontal Gyrus (R-IFG) and right Middle Frontal Gyrus (R-MFG), suggesting enhanced executive function. The potential of R-IFG/MFG activation as a reliable biomarker for assessing executive function in ASD was identified.
Discussion
The study provides empirical evidence supporting SIT’s effectiveness in enhancing balance and executive functions in children with ASD. The therapy not only improves sensory processing and motor skills but also appears to compensate for sensory deficits, particularly in vision, vestibular perception, and proprioception. Enhanced neural activation in specific PFC regions underscores SIT’s role in improving cognitive aspects, including inhibitory control and cognitive flexibility. The multidisciplinary approach adopted for this research highlights the intricate interplay between sensory-motor functions and cognitive control in ASD, paving the way for integrated therapeutic strategies. Despite these advancements, the mechanisms through which SIT exerts these multifaceted effects require further exploration.
... The tendency to use each hand on its respective side of midline might be related to deficits in development of a dominant hand. Hauck and Dewey (2001) reported that children with ASD demonstrate a higher rate of ambiguous hand preference. Children with autism who have a hand preference tend to score better on tests of motor, language, and cognitive skills than those who do not (Tsai, 1983, as cited in Hauck & Dewey, 2001. ...
The cardinal features of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) are recognized to include impairments in communication, social interactions, and restricted, repetitive behaviors and stereotyped interests. However, many children with ASD also have motor activity limitations that are often overlooked. The purpose of this review is to summarize the literature on neuromotor impairment and motor activity limitation in children with ASD. A literature search was conducted of citations from 1998 through 2021 using PubMed, EMBASE, and PsycINFO. Twenty-three search terms were used to encompass diverse articles focused on children with autism and motor activity. The search resulted in 78 articles that included the search terms and were also consistent with the aims of this literature review. The potential significance of motor activity limitations on development from an early age is explored and recommendations are offered for more holistic surveillance in children with ASD, which can facilitate early access to services when indicated.
... O estabelecimento tardio da lateralidade em crianças com TEA pode ter um impacto significativo no desenvolvimento de certas aquisições, como a escrita, a coordenação visual-motora, a destreza manual e a linguagem (Paquet et al., 2017). Nesse aspecto, quanto mais precoce o desenvolvimento da lateralidade, que nos autistas é menos desenvolvida em comparação a de grupos típicos (Thompson et al., 2017), melhor será o desenvolvimento da criança (Hauck & Dewey, 2001;Romero, 1988 (2001), as crianças autistas que são mais lateralizadas manualmente possuem melhores desempenho motor, verbal e cognitivo em comparação às menos lateralizadas. A lateralidade impacta nas interações sociais de crianças com TEA, tais como na forma como arremessa uma bola ou abre uma porta utilizando uma chave (Paquet et al., 2017). ...
RESUMO: Este estudo teve como objetivo analisar a lateralidade e a destreza manual em crianças com Transtorno do Espectro Autista (TEA). Do ponto de vista da motricidade humana, a lateralidade contribui para o processo de maturação motora. Figura-se entre as principais características do autismo o atraso nas habilidades motoras grossas e finas, com piora progressiva no quadro. Analisar o nível de lateralidade do indivíduo com TEA torna-se importante por possibilitar uma direção na intervenção motora com o intuito de melhorar a funcionalidade do autista e sua qualidade de vida. A amostra deste estudo foi composta por oito crianças, alunos de uma instituição de ensino pública, do sexo masculino, com idade média de 8,75±1,83 anos e diagnosticadas com TEA com base no DSM-V. Os resultados mostraram que os participantes do estudo parecem apresentar lateralidade destra e, também, melhor desempenho com a mão preferida em uma tarefa de destreza manual. Observou-se que, na tarefa que exigiu maior atenção e destreza, a diferença no desempenho das mãos foi significativa. Já na tarefa com menor demanda atencional e de destreza manual, o desempenho entre as mãos não foi significante, porém foi nesse momento que foram observados os maiores erros na execução. A motivação pode ser uma variável fundamental para o desempenho motor em tarefas que avaliam o tempo de execução. É importante uma maior ênfase no desenvolvimento da motricidade desses indivíduos durante a fase escolar para diminuir as dificuldades motoras e, consequentemente, melhorar a qualidade de vida, sensação de bem-estar, autonomia e interação social.
... The late establishment of laterality in children with ASD can have a significant impact on the development of certain acquisitions, such as writing, visual-motor coordination, manual dexterity and language (Paquet et al., 2017). In this regard, the earlier the development of laterality, which in autistic individuals is less developed compared to typical groups (Thompson et al., 2017), the better the child's development will be (Hauck & Dewey, 2001;Romero, 1988). ...
... This dimension of the human movement, the laterality, is essential for the global development of the child, since it directly interferes in the way he/she will socialize with the world. According to Hauck and Dewey (2001), autistic children who are more lateralized manually have better motor, verbal and cognitive performance compared to those less lateralized. Laterality impacts the social interactions of children with ASD, such as how they throw a ball or open a door using a key (Paquet et al., 2017). ...
This study aimed to analyze laterality and manual dexterity in children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). From the point of view of human motor skills, laterality contributes to the motor maturation process. Among the main characteristics of autism is the delay in gross and fine motor skills, with progressive worsening in the condition. Analyzing the level of laterality of the individual with ASD becomes important because it allows a direction in the motor intervention in order to improve the functionality and quality of life of the autistic person. The sample of this study was composed of eight children, students of a public education institution, male, with an average age of 8.75 ± 1.83 years old and diagnosed with ASD based on the DSM-V. The results showed that the study participants seem to have right handedness and also better performance with the preferred hand in a manual dexterity task. It was observed that, in the task that demanded more attention and dexterity, the difference in hand performance was significant. In the task with the lowest attentional demand and manual dexterity, the performance between the hands was not significant; however, it was at that moment that the biggest mistakes in execution were observed. Motivation can be a fundamental variable for motor performance in tasks that assess execution time. It is important to emphasize the development of the motor skills of these individuals during the school phase to reduce motor difficulties and, consequently, improve quality of life, sense of well-being, autonomy and social interaction. RESUMO: Este estudo teve como objetivo analisar a lateralidade e a destreza manual em crianças com Transtorno do Espectro Autista (TEA). Do ponto de vista da motricidade humana, a lateralidade contribui para o processo de maturação motora. Figura-se entre as principais características do autismo o atraso nas habilidades motoras grossas e finas, com piora progressiva no quadro. Analisar o nível de lateralidade do indivíduo com TEA torna-se importante por possibilitar uma direção na intervenção motora com o intuito de melhorar a funcionalidade do autista e sua qualidade de vida. A amostra deste estudo foi composta por oito crianças, alunos de uma instituição de ensino pública, do sexo masculino, com idade média de 8,75±1,83 anos e diagnosticadas com TEA com base no DSM-V. Os resultados mostraram que os participantes do estudo parecem apresentar lateralidade destra e, também, melhor desempenho com a mão preferida em uma tarefa de destreza manual. Observou-se que, na tarefa que exigiu maior atenção e destreza, a diferença no desempenho das mãos foi significativa. Já na tarefa com menor demanda atencional e de destreza manual, o desempenho entre as mãos não foi significante, porém foi nesse momento que foram observados os maiores erros na execução. A motivação pode ser uma variável fundamental para o desempenho motor em tarefas que avaliam o tempo de execução. É importante uma maior ênfase no desenvolvimento da motricidade desses indivíduos durante a fase escolar para diminuir as dificuldades motoras e, consequentemente, melhorar a qualidade de vida, sensação de bem-estar, autonomia e interação social. PALAVRAS-CHAVE: Lateralidade. Coordenação viso-motora. Autismo.
... SD = 14.40) than the performance of children with developmental delays (M = 47.55, SD = 14.05) (Hauck & Dewey, 2001) and those with specific developmental disorder of motor function (SDD-MF) (Green et al., 2002). The ASD group had a higher mean impairments score (M = 2.91, SD = 2.32) compared to the SDD-MF group (M = 1.86, ...
... Children with ASD also demonstrated significant impairments in overall FMS composite across all the clinical groups (Green et al., 2002;Hauck & Dewey, 2001;Van Waelvelde et al., 2010). These findings can be explained by the social symptomatology uniquely observed in ASD. ...
Background
Fundamental movement skills (FMS) are basic movement skills (i.e. balance, object control, and locomotor skills) that form the foundation for more advanced movement patterns. These skills are a crucial but often an overlooked part of the development process, especially in populations with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). In view of this, the present review was undertaken with the purpose of determining the extent of FMS impairments in children with ASD compared to typically developing children and those with other developmental disorders.
Method
A total of 24 studies that measured FMS in children with ASD using product- and process-oriented standardized movement assessment batteries were included in the review.
Results
The results showed that impairments in FMS are highly prevalent across the ASD spectrum and that children with ASD exhibited greater impairments in FMS competencies especially object control and locomotor skills compared to typically developing children and those with other developmental disorders. Moreover, these impairments in FMS appear to emerge early in life and persist throughout late childhood years in the majority of children with ASD.
Conclusion
These findings provide preliminary evidence suggesting that FMS has the potential to be an early motor marker in children with ASD, and that practitioners should therefore be encouraged to consider movement skill evaluations as a routine investigation for children with ASD.
... Ainsi, les troubles de la planification et de l'anticipation, observés chez les sujets avec TSA [22], peuvent être interprétés comme un défaut de programmation et d'exécution des séquences de gestes pour atteindre un but (aspect moteur), associé à la vision de l'objet (aspect sensoriel) [23][24][25]. Ces troubles fonctionnels sensori-moteurs sont même considérés pour certains comme des composantes essentielles du profil symptomatique des sujets avec autisme [18,19,26,27]. L'imitation est, à ce titre, considérée comme une coordination sensori-motrice élaborée, traduction immédiate d'un couplage entre perception et action : en effet, elle se caractérise par la coordination entre un comportement perç u visuellement et un comportement produit activement [28]. ...
ABSTRACT
Objective : Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is a neuro-developmental disorder resulting on atypical cognitive development characterized by communication and language disorders, restricted behaviors and sensory abnormalities, present in the most of subjects. These abnormalities cause many disorders, including motor and sensory-motor troubles. Imitation, which is characterized by the coordination between a visually perceived behavior and actively produced behavior, is in this perspective, a sophisticated sensory-motor coordination. It is strongly troubled in children with ASD, with significant negative effects on their future socio-communicative development. The aim of this research is to determine if imitation disorders increase with the number of sensory abnormalities,
Methods : 22 children (18 boys), aged from 3 to 5 years, were included in this study. Autism was assessed by the Chilhood Autism Rating Scale (CARS) and the Autism Diagnostic Observation schedule (ADOS). Dunn's Sensory and Revised Perceptual Profile was administered to determine the sensory profile for five senses : visual, auditive, tactile, proprioceptive and vestibular. Four types of imitation were evaluated: facial, motor, vocal and object. Statistical analyzes were conducted on the different scores obtained.
Results: All children with autism have sensory abnormalities and imitation disorders. The more the children have sensory particularities, especially visual, the more their imitation skills are weak, especially in facial imitation. Imitation on object, conversely, seems less impacted.
Conclusion: The sensory abnormalities could constitute a screen to the realization of the imitative tasks, by preventing the children to reach the social dimension of the imitation for example. These results illustrate the need to take into account these sensory features in specific care.
Pour lire l'article pendant 50 jours : https://authors.elsevier.com/a/1a8upoiXI4zDW
... Catching: It was concluded that the skill of catching a ball as big as a volleyball with the left hand and the right hand was significantly improved. In studies supporting these results, it was seen that the skill of catching a ball with two hands was developed positively in children with autism [34,35,36]. ...
Background and Study Aim: This study aims to investigate the impact of sports training on basic motor skills of children with autism. Material and Methods: The study included sixteen children with autism who were aged between 12-16 years. The study aims to present the difference between basic motor skills of children with autism before sports training and after taking sports training for 12 weeks. The study was conducted in experimental design and compared values before and after sports training. SPSS 23.0 statistics program was used to perform statistical assessment of the data. The non-parametric Wilcoxon test was used for intragroup changes of fine and gross motor development, balance, life skills and self-care test data in the test battery. Results: At the end of a 12-week study, positive developments were observed in balance, catching, skipping, basic gymnastics, and some psychomotor and life skills, while no significant difference was observed in throwing skills. Based on daily life generalization, it can be said that the learned skills positively contribute to life standards of individuals with autism. Conclusions: The study results show that exercise programs also develop the physical fitness levels of children with autism. At the end of a 12-week sports training, a positive development was seen in basic motor skills and life skills. It is thought that useful results can be obtained with such exercise programs.
... It was found that children with ASD showed less efficient eye-hand coordination than typically developing children. It has also been observed that children with ASD do not have bi-lateral coordination, which indicates the need for improvement in using both hands [11]. By making the children perform day-to-day tasks repeatedly as an exercise, it is possible to forge new neural pathways and help them function better [12]. ...
... The location of the knobs on the system has to be determined based on the physical and visual accessibility of the child. The system is to be painted in bright colours to attract, induce positive behaviour and sustain the child's attention throughout the training [11,34]. An attractive object like a bright coloured doll if placed behind the door, can act as a positive reinforcement for the child's focus and concentration [35]. ...
Prevalence of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) in children has been increasing over the years. These children , when compared to typically growing children, face challenges in leading a day-today life. Other than the social interactions, communication and cognitive skills, psy-chomotor skill deficits are also found in them. This paper focuses on enhancement of psychomotor skills in children with ASD by employing a mechatronic training kit. Training using this kit aims at developing skills like 'palmar grasp', 'wrist rotation' and 'eye-hand coordination'. Trials were conducted with six children with autism aged between four and nine years. Significant improvements were seen in these children both in skills and in behaviour after the training. Thus, teaching psychomotor skills to children with autism using the newly developed mechatronic door training kit is found to be working and the results are encouraging .
... Tonic asymmetry may appear as a marker for the development of hemispheric dominance on manual functional laterality and may explain the high rate of weak handedness in children with ASD because this asymmetry was little installed at a tonic level among children with ASD. Laterality features have been described in ASD, including impairments in functions processed on the left side of the brain (i.e., language, communication, and the use of symbols; de Guibert et al., 2011;Sussman & Lewandowski, 1990), a larger number of left-handed individuals (Preslar et al., 2014), and the presence of ambiguous, inconsistent, or mixed handedness (Hauck & Dewey, 2001;Preslar et al., 2014; for a review see Lindell & Hudry, 2013). Other features include significant failures in the imitation of hand gestures (gnosopraxis). ...
Introduction:
Several authors have suggested the existence of motor disorders associated with developmental coordination disorder (DCD) in individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). However, there are few comparative studies of psychomotor profiles that include assessments of neurological soft signs in children with ASD or DCD. We used a neuropsychomotor assessment for children with ASD from a standardized neurodevelopmental examination to understand the nature of the difficulties these children encounter. To uncover the differences and similarities in psychomotor profiles, we compared the profiles of children with ASD with those of children with DCD and focused on two recently described DCD subgroups: visuospatial-constructional (VSC) and mixed (MX).
Methods:
We compared 18 children with ASD and 58 children with DCD (33 with VSC-DCD and 25 with MX-DCD) who were assessed with a battery of French-language tests (the NP-MOT) to evaluate the neuropsychomotor functions associated with visual perception and visual-spatial-motor structuring.
Results:
Although there were similarities between the profiles of children with ASD and those with DCD (VSC-DCD or MX-DCD), these similarities were not associated with the predictive diagnostic markers that characterized subtypes of DCD. Instead, many variables (visuospatial-motor structuration, synkinetic movements, dynamic balance, manual dexterity, coordination, praxis, bodily spatial integration, and digital perception) differed among the three groups; the best performance was observed in the children with ASD.
Conclusion:
The neuropsychomotor profiles of children with ASD and those with VSC-DCD or MX-DCD differed, and these differences are discussed. Our results highlight that impairments of ASD are specific about lateralization disturbances and support the hypothesis of proprioceptive impairment due to visual fixation problems influenced by muscular tone in relation to the subcortical and cortical structures and possible interhemispheric disorder. Thus, some neuropsychomotor functions that underpin both gestures and a set of motor skills are affected.
