TY - JOUR
T1 - Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder Show Impairments During Dynamic Versus Static Grip-force Tracking
AU - Lidstone, Daniel E.
AU - Miah, Faria Z.
AU - Poston, Brach
AU - Beasley, Julie F.
AU - Mostofsky, Stewart H.
AU - Dufek, Janet S.
N1 - Funding Information:
We would like to acknowledge all the participants, their families, and the staff of the UNLV Ackerman Autism Center for making this study possible. We would also like to acknowledge Dr. Mohammad Trabia, Jeffrey Markle, and Conner Neilsen from the UNLV Department of Mechanical Engineering for designing the grip‐apparatus used in this study. This study was partially supported by the American Society of Biomechanics Student Grant‐in‐Aid.
Funding Information:
We would like to acknowledge all the participants, their families, and the staff of the UNLV Ackerman Autism Center for making this study possible. We would also like to acknowledge Dr. Mohammad Trabia, Jeffrey Markle, and Conner Neilsen from the UNLV Department of Mechanical Engineering for designing the grip-apparatus used in this study. This study was partially supported by the American Society of Biomechanics Student Grant-in-Aid.
Publisher Copyright:
© 2020 International Society for Autism Research and Wiley Periodicals LLC.
PY - 2020/12
Y1 - 2020/12
N2 - Impairments in visuomotor integration (VMI) may contribute to anomalous development of motor, as well as social-communicative, skills in children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). However, it is relatively unknown whether VMI impairments are specific to children with ASD versus children with other neurodevelopmental disorders. As such, this study addressed the hypothesis that children with ASD, but not those in other clinical control groups, would show greater deficits in high-VMI dynamic grip-force tracking versus low-VMI static presentation. Seventy-nine children, aged 7–17 years, participated: 22 children with ASD, 17 children with fetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD), 18 children with Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), and 22 typically developing (TD) children. Two grip-force tracking conditions were examined: (1) a low-VMI condition (static visual target) and (2) a high-VMI condition (dynamic visual target). Low-frequency force oscillations <0.5 Hz during the visuomotor task were also examined. Two-way ANCOVAs were used to examine group x VMI and group x frequency effects (α = 0.05). Children with ASD showed a difficulty, above that seen in the ADHD/FASD groups, tracking dynamic, but not static, visual stimuli as compared to TD children. Low-frequency force oscillations <0.25 Hz were also significantly greater in the ASD versus the TD group. This study is the first to report VMI deficits during dynamic versus static grip-force tracking and increased proportion of force oscillations <0.25 Hz during visuomotor tracking in the ASD versus TD group. Dynamic VMI impairments may be a core psychophysiologic feature that could contribute to impaired development of motor and social-communicative skills in ASD. Lay Summary: Children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) show difficulties using dynamic visual stimuli to guide their own movements compared to their typically developing (TD) peers. It is unknown whether children without a diagnosis of ASD, but with other neurological disorders, show similar difficulties processing dynamic visual stimuli. In this study, we showed that children with ASD show a difficulty using dynamic, but not static, visual stimuli to guide movement that may explain atypical development of motor and social skills.
AB - Impairments in visuomotor integration (VMI) may contribute to anomalous development of motor, as well as social-communicative, skills in children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). However, it is relatively unknown whether VMI impairments are specific to children with ASD versus children with other neurodevelopmental disorders. As such, this study addressed the hypothesis that children with ASD, but not those in other clinical control groups, would show greater deficits in high-VMI dynamic grip-force tracking versus low-VMI static presentation. Seventy-nine children, aged 7–17 years, participated: 22 children with ASD, 17 children with fetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD), 18 children with Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), and 22 typically developing (TD) children. Two grip-force tracking conditions were examined: (1) a low-VMI condition (static visual target) and (2) a high-VMI condition (dynamic visual target). Low-frequency force oscillations <0.5 Hz during the visuomotor task were also examined. Two-way ANCOVAs were used to examine group x VMI and group x frequency effects (α = 0.05). Children with ASD showed a difficulty, above that seen in the ADHD/FASD groups, tracking dynamic, but not static, visual stimuli as compared to TD children. Low-frequency force oscillations <0.25 Hz were also significantly greater in the ASD versus the TD group. This study is the first to report VMI deficits during dynamic versus static grip-force tracking and increased proportion of force oscillations <0.25 Hz during visuomotor tracking in the ASD versus TD group. Dynamic VMI impairments may be a core psychophysiologic feature that could contribute to impaired development of motor and social-communicative skills in ASD. Lay Summary: Children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) show difficulties using dynamic visual stimuli to guide their own movements compared to their typically developing (TD) peers. It is unknown whether children without a diagnosis of ASD, but with other neurological disorders, show similar difficulties processing dynamic visual stimuli. In this study, we showed that children with ASD show a difficulty using dynamic, but not static, visual stimuli to guide movement that may explain atypical development of motor and social skills.
KW - autism spectrum disorder
KW - grip
KW - neurodevelopmental disorders
KW - psychophysiologic
KW - visuomotor
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U2 - 10.1002/aur.2370
DO - 10.1002/aur.2370
M3 - Article
C2 - 32830457
AN - SCOPUS:85089702042
SN - 1939-3792
VL - 13
SP - 2177
EP - 2189
JO - Autism Research
JF - Autism Research
IS - 12
ER -