Oral motor deficits in speech-impaired children with autism

Absence of communicative speech in autism has been presumed to reflect a fundamental deficit in the use of language, but at least in a subpopulation may instead stem from motor and oral motor issues. Clinical reports of disparity between receptive vs. expressive speech/language abilities reinforce this hypothesis. Our early-intervention clinic develops skills prerequisite to learning and communication, including sitting, attending, and pointing or reference, in children below 6 years of age. In a cohort of 31 children, gross and fine motor skills and activities of daily living as well as receptive and expressive speech were assessed at intake and after 6 and 10 months of intervention. Oral motor skills were evaluated separately within the first 5 months of the child's enrolment in the intervention programme and again at 10 months of intervention. Assessment used a clinician-rated structured report, normed against samples of 360 (for motor and speech skills) and 90 (for oral motor skills) typically developing children matched for age, cultural environment and socio-economic status

Do imitation problems reflect a core characteristic in autism? Evidence from a literature review

A

Language growth in very young siblings at risk for autism spectrum disorder

Background Children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) show substantial variability in their language development. Language problems are highly prevalent in these children. In addition, the quality of early language abilities contributes to the overall development of these children and is highly predictive of their adult outcome. Yet, little is known about language development in children at risk of ASD during the first years of life. Aims To compare early receptive language (RL) and expressive language (EL) development in children at risk of ASD and determine predictors of language development. Methods & Procedures Developmental trajectories of RL and EL were investigated from 10 to 36 months of age in younger siblings of typically developing children (LR-sibs, N = 30) and in younger siblings of children with ASD (HR-sibs, N = 31) using the Mullen Scales of Early Learning. Furthermore, both child and demographic characteristics were examined as possible predictors of language development. Outcomes & Results Both groups showed similar growth curves for RL and EL and the majority of the children showed average (within +/- 1.5 SD of the mean) or above-average language abilities. Nevertheless, the mean growth of EL was lower and the variation in growth of both RL and EL was higher in HR-sibs than in LR-sibs. Furthermore, early child characteristics were predictive of language development in both groups. Yet, some child characteristics seemed to be of more importance in HR-sibs than in LR-sibs. Consequently, lower non-verbal abilities at 10 months in both groups and a higher degree of ASD characteristics at 14 months in HR-sibs may be indicative of difficulties in language development. Conclusions & Implications HR-sibs show more variation in their language development than LR-sibs during the first 3 years of life. The majority of HR-sibs, however, did not present with below-average language abilities. Yet, early characteristics of ASD may be a red flag for difficulties in the language development of HR-sibs

Sensorimotor skills in autism spectrum disorder : a meta-analysis

Les habiletés sensori-motrices sont souvent rapportées comme déficitaires chez les personnes atteintes d’un trouble du spectre de l’autisme (TSA), mais peu de consensus règne sur la façon dont ces habiletés varient en fonction du développement. L'objectif de ce mémoire est de mener une méta-analyse visant à montrer une différence sur le plan des habiletés motrices fines et globales chez les TSA en comparaison avec un groupe neurotypique. Au total, 139 études ont été incluses. Les résultats montrent la présence de déficits importants des habiletés sensori-motrices chez une population TSA (k=127, g=1,25, SE=0,08; p<0,001), à la fois pour la motricité fine (k=81, g=1.11, SE = 0.09; p < 0.001) et globale (k=65, g=1.27, SE= 0.10; p< 0.001). Le but ultime est d’établir les bases théoriques pour de futures interventions cliniques, telles qu’avec la musique et la danse, chez une population autiste.Sensorimotor skills are often reported as atypical in people with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), but little is known about how these skills vary with development. The main objective of this thesis was to conduct a comprehensive quantitative meta-analysis of sensorimotor skills in ASD. The specific aim was to assess the consistency of atypical gross and fine sensorimotor behaviours in ASD. A total of 139 studies were included. Results strongly support the presence of deficits in overall sensorimotor abilities in ASD (k=127, g=1.25, SE=0.08, p <0.001), extended to both fine (k=81 , g=1.11, SE = 0.09, p <0.001) and gross sensorimotor skills (k=65, g=1.27, SE=0.10, p <0.001). The ultimate mission of this research is to support a theoretical groundwork for future sensorimotor-based interventions (e.g., music and dance) in ASD

Influence of a specific aquatic program on social and gross motor skills in adolescents with Autism Spectrum Disorders: Three case reports

Swimming pool activities revealed to be efficacious to train psychomotor skills and increase adaptive behaviors in children with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD). Therefore, the purpose of this study was to investigate the efficacy of a specific multi-systemic aquatic therapy (CI-MAT) on gross motor and social skills in three adolescents with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD). Methods: three adolescents with ASD of which two boys (M1 with a chronological age of 10.3 years and a mental age of 4.7 years; M2 with a chronological age of 14.6 and a mental age inferior to 4 years) and one girl (chronological age of 14.0 and a mental age inferior to 4 years). The study was divided into three phases: baseline, 12-week CI-MAT program and Post-Test. Participants were administered a battery of tests incorporating anthropometric measurements, gross motor development test and a social skills questionnaire before and after a 12-week MAT-CI program. Results: Subjects improved locomotors and object control skills following the CI-MAT program in a different way. Concerning social behaviors, the higher proportion of gains was observed in the sensitivity of other's presence and eye contact, for the contact domain, and in the comply turn for the relationship domain. Conclusions: The results of this study showed that the CI-MAT program was effective for the development of gross-motor skills and social behaviors in subjects with ASD. Moreover there is an urge to carry out a whole psychological assessment targeting both motor and adaptive development suitable to provide educational and vocational plans of exercises for people with ASD

Use of the STAR PROCESS for Children with Sensory Processing Challenges

Background: This study examined the effectiveness of the STAR PROCESS, an intensive, short-term intervention that combines principles of sensory integration, relationship-based therapy, and parental-therapist collaboration for children with sensory processing challenges. Method: A nonconcurrent multiple baseline, repeated measures design was used. Four boys, aged 5 years 0 months to 7 years 9 months, participated in this study. The mean length of intervention was 22 sessions delivered 3 to 5 times per week. A behavioral coding system was used to measure change in four areas: play level, positive affect, joint attention, and novel use of equipment. The theory of change reflects the use of multisensory experiences in combination with parent participation to impact outcomes. Results: Improvement was noted in play level in all of the participants. Multisensory experiences and parent participation were associated with these changes in two participants. Discussion: The study results suggest a feasible methodology to study occupational therapy interventions. The behavioral coding system was sensitive to change. Play abilities changed in all four children. Preliminary support was provided for the theory of change combining multisensory experiences with parent participation. Conclusion: A targeted treatment approach that emphasizes parents as play partners in a multisensory environment shows promise in remediating these deficits

Motor development in children at-risk of autism: A follow-up study of infant siblings.

Recently, evidence of poor or atypical motor skills in autism spectrum disorder has led some to argue that motor impairment is a core feature of the condition. The current study uses a longitudinal prospective design to assess the development of motor skills of 20 children at increased risk of developing autism spectrum disorder, who were recruited and tested at 9 and 40 months of age, on the basis of having an older sibling diagnosed with the condition. All children completed a range of motor, face processing, IQ and diagnostic assessments at a follow-up visit (aged 5–7 years), providing a detailed profile of development in this group from a number of standardised, parental report and experimental measures. A higher proportion of children than expected demonstrated motor difficulties at the follow-up visit and those highlighted by parental report as having poor motor skills as infants and toddlers were also more likely to have lower face processing scores and elevated autism-related social symptoms at 5–7 years, despite having similar IQ levels. These data lend support to the argument that early motor difficulties may be a risk factor for later motor impairment as well as differences in social communication and cognition, traits that are related to autism spectrum disorder