Relationships Between Gross Motor Skills and Social Function in Young Boys With Autism Spectrum Disorder

Social communication and motor skill deficits are prevalent characteristics of individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). This systematic research review investigates whether and how broad social skills and motor skills may be related among individuals with ASD. We performed a PubMed search of articles written in English, using these study inclusion criteria: (a) an association between social and motor and skills among individuals previously diagnosed with autism; (b) one or more social skills measures were used; and (c) one or more measures of gross or fine motor skills were used. We classified data into two categories, and we based the association of these variables on correlation coefficients, p-values, coefficients of determination, and authors’ description of “may be associated” and “may not be associated.” Despite heterogeneity among these relevant studies, a highly likely association between social and motor skills emerged. Of a total of 16 studies reviewed, 12 reported associations between these skill sets. Three studies reported that fine motor skills had a stronger relationship with social skills than did gross motor skills. Among the gross motor skills associated with social skills, object control skills seemed most closely linked to social skills. Among fine motor skills, manual dexterity seemed to most closely related to social skills.

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A Family-based Telerehabilitation Program for Improving Gross Motor Skills in Children With High Functioning Autism Spectrum Disorder

Journal of Modern Rehabilitation ◽

10.18502/jmr.v15i3.7738 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Louisa Aqdassi ◽

Saeid Sadeghi ◽

Hamid Reza Pouretemad ◽

Jalil Fathabadi

Keyword(s):

Autism Spectrum Disorder ◽

Motor Skills ◽

Motor Program ◽

Autism Spectrum ◽

Gross Motor ◽

Gross Motor Skills ◽

High Functioning ◽

Rehabilitation Centers ◽

Children With Asd ◽

Family Based

Introduction: Children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) experience problems in motor skills which can affect other abilities such as academic and daily life skills. In this regard, the cost of interventions and the long distance from the rehabilitation centers put pressure on the family of children with ASD. Previous studies have shown the potential for using telerehabilitation as a more affordable way to provide interventions for children with ASD. Therefore, the present study aimed to investigate the non-attendant family-centered Sports, Play and Active Recreation for Kids (SPARK) motor program intervention to develop gross motor skills in children with a high-function ASD. Materials and Methods: The research is a quasi-experimental study with a pretest-posttest design. The participants were 9 families of children with high-functioning ASD referring to the rehabilitation centers in Tehran, Isfahan, Quds, and Kermanshah provinces, Iran. Telerehabilitation of SPARK motor program involves exercising and playing performed in 24 sessions of 45 minutes each (3 sessions per week) for 8 weeks applied for parents. The test of gross motor development-2 (TGMD-2) was used for data collection. The collected data were analyzed by paired t-test. Results: The results showed that family-based telerehabilitation of the SPARK program significantly improved gross motor skills in children with high-functioning ASD (P<0.05). Conclusion: It seems that the telerehabilitation of SPARK can be helpful for families who do not have access to rehabilitation centers.

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The mediating role of joint attention in the relationship between motor skills and receptive and expressive language in siblings at risk for autism spectrum disorder

Infant Behavior and Development ◽

10.1016/j.infbeh.2019.101377 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 57 ◽

pp. 101377

Author(s):

E. Bruyneel ◽

E. Demurie ◽

P. Warreyn ◽

H. Roeyers

Keyword(s):

Autism Spectrum Disorder ◽

At Risk ◽

Joint Attention ◽

Motor Skills ◽

Expressive Language ◽

Autism Spectrum ◽

Spectrum Disorder ◽

Mediating Role ◽

The Relationship

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Early trajectories of motor skills in infant siblings of children with autism spectrum disorder

Autism Research ◽

10.1002/aur.2641 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

James W. Patterson ◽

Vickie Armstrong ◽

Eric Duku ◽

Annie Richard ◽

Martina Franchini ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Autism Spectrum Disorder ◽

Motor Skills ◽

Children With Autism ◽

Autism Spectrum ◽

Spectrum Disorder ◽

Infant Siblings

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C-65 Transdiagnostic Factors of Social Impairment in Comorbid Autism Spectrum Disorder and Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder

Archives of Clinical Neuropsychology ◽

10.1093/arclin/acz034.227 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 34 (6) ◽

pp. 1094-1094

Author(s):

A Garagozzo ◽

L Katz ◽

M Scott ◽

S Hunter

Keyword(s):

Autism Spectrum Disorder ◽

Motor Skills ◽

Autism Spectrum ◽

Spectrum Disorder ◽

Motor Dysfunction ◽

Social Impairment ◽

Motor Deficits ◽

Social Deficits ◽

Functional Communication ◽

Children With Adhd

Abstract Objective Comorbid Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and ADHD are associated with greater symptom severity, including social impairment. Furthering work by Lerner, Pothoff, and Hunter (2015), we sought to identify unique and shared factors that contribute to parent-reported social deficits in children with ADHD, ASD, and ADHD+ASD. We hypothesized attention, hyperactivity, and motor skills would predict social deficits in ADHD, while functional communication and motor skills would predict social deficits in ASD; and additively, all factors would predict social deficits in ADHD+ASD. Method Utilizing a clinical database, we identified 236 participants (4-21 years; Mage = 10.6; 71% male; 28% African American; FSIQ M = 94.31) with diagnoses of ADHD, ASD, and ADHD+ASD. We examined FSIQ from the WISC-4/5, WPPSI-3, or DAS-2, motor skills and social impairment from the SIB-R and attention, hyperactivity, and functional communication from the BASC-2/3. Results Using hierarchical linear regression and controlling for FSIQ, hypotheses were partially supported. FSIQ was controlled for in each group. For ADHD, hyperactivity, functional communication, and motor skills contributed significantly to the model (p < .001), while for ASD, motor skills contributed significantly to the model (p < .001). For ASD + ADHD, functional communication and motor skills contributed significantly to the model (p < .001) Conclusion Results support previous findings that motor deficits and functional communication are associated with social impairment in children with ADHD and ASD, independently and comorbidly. This suggests that targeting motor dysfunction and functional communication concurrently may be effective for improving social interaction skills in children with ADHD +ASD.

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