Motor and gestural performance in children with autism spectrum disorders, developmental coordination disorder, and/or attention deficit hyperactivity disorder

TLDR

The study investigated motor and gestural skills in children with ASD, DCD, ADHD, and their combinations. Forty‑nine ASD, 46 DCD, 38 DCD+ADHD, 27 ADHD, and 78 controls were evaluated using the Bruininks–Oseretsky Test of Motor Proficiency Short Form and a gesture production test. Children with ASD, DCD, and DCD+ADHD showed significant motor coordination deficits, but only ASD exhibited a generalized gestural impairment, with ASD children making more action, orientation, and distortion errors, indicating that gestural deficits are not solely due to motor coordination. Published in JINS 2007, 13:246–256.

Abstract

Motor and gestural skills of children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD), developmental coordination disorder (DCD), and/or attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) were investigated. A total of 49 children with ASD, 46 children with DCD, 38 children with DCD+ADHD, 27 children with ADHD, and 78 typically developing control children participated. Motor skills were assessed with the Bruininks–Oseretsky Test of Motor Proficiency Short Form, and gestural skills were assessed using a test that required children to produce meaningful gestures to command and imitation. Children with ASD, DCD, and DCD+ADHD were significantly impaired on motor coordination skills; however, only children with ASD showed a generalized impairment in gestural performance. Examination of types of gestural errors revealed that children with ASD made significantly more incorrect action and orientation errors to command, and significantly more orientation and distortion errors to imitation than children with DCD, DCD+ADHD, ADHD, and typically developing control children. These findings suggest that gestural impairments displayed by the children with ASD were not solely attributable to deficits in motor coordination skills. (JINS, 2007, 13, 246–256.)