Motor impairment in sibling pairs concordant and discordant for autism spectrum disorders
- 19 October 2011
- journal article
- research article
- Published by SAGE Publications in Autism
- Vol. 16 (4), 430-441
- https://doi.org/10.1177/1362361311423018
Abstract
Aim: Although motor impairment is frequently observed in children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD), the manner in which these impairments aggregate in families affected by autism is unknown. We used a standardized measure of motor proficiency to objectively examine quantitative variation in motor proficiency in sibling pairs concordant and discordant for ASD.Methods: Motor impairment of sibling pairs from 67 ASD-affected families comprising 29 concordant pairings and 48 discordant pairings were assessed using the Bruininks Oseretsky Test of Motor Proficiency, 2nd Edition, a standardized measure of motor proficiency.Results: Motor skills were substantially impaired among ASD-affected children and highly correlated with autistic severity and IQ, whereas motor skills in unaffected siblings were essentially normal. Total motor composite scores of at least one standard deviation below the general population mean were seen in 83% of the affected group compared with 6% in the unaffected siblings.Interpretation: Findings indicate that motor impairment constitutes a core characteristic of ASD (not necessarily an ASD endophenotype), which has distinct implications for taxonomy, diagnosis, and approaches to intervention.Keywords
This publication has 27 references indexed in Scilit:
- The Genetics of Autism Spectrum Disorders and Related Neuropsychiatric Disorders in ChildhoodAmerican Journal of Psychiatry, 2010
- Sibling Recurrence and the Genetic Epidemiology of AutismAmerican Journal of Psychiatry, 2010
- Toddlers with Elevated Autism Symptoms Show Slowed Habituation to FacesChild Neuropsychology, 2010
- A Pilot Study: Coordination of Precision Grip in Children and Adolescents with High Functioning AutismPediatric Physical Therapy, 2009
- Familial aggregation of quantitative autistic traits in multiplex versus simplex autismAmerican Journal Of Medical Genetics Part B-Neuropsychiatric Genetics, 2008
- Prevalence of motor impairment in autism spectrum disordersBrain & Development, 2007
- Dyspraxia in autism: association with motor, social, and communicative deficitsDevelopmental Medicine and Child Neurology, 2007
- Gait function in newly diagnosed children with autism: cerebellar and basal ganglia related motor disorderDevelopmental Medicine and Child Neurology, 2006
- Social Participation for Children with Developmental Coordination DisorderPhysical & Occupational Therapy In Pediatrics, 2003
- The Social, Behavioral, and Academic Experiences of Children with Asperger SyndromeFocus on Autism and Other Developmental Disabilities, 2000