An examination of handedness and footedness in children with high functioning autism and Asperger syndrome.
Kids with HFA/AS often can’t decide which foot to lead with — test both sides and adjust prompts.
01Research in Context
What this study did
Heinicke et al. (2012) watched how kids with high-functioning autism or Asperger kicked a ball and stepped on a pedal.
They scored which foot each child liked to use and how steady that choice was.
A same-age group without autism did the same tasks for comparison.
What they found
Children with HFA/AS switched their preferred foot more often than peers.
Their motor dominance was less consistent, making them look unsure which leg to lead with.
How this fits with other research
Martín-Díaz et al. (2024) later saw the same clumsiness in balance tests across both kids and teens, so the trouble lasts.
Martín-Díaz et al. (2026) pooled 34 studies and confirmed: youth with ASD almost always score lower on static and dynamic balance, but the certainty is still low because labs use different tools.
Gong et al. (2020) added that uneven, wobbly gait in preschoolers tracks with social-communication scores — the shakier the walk, the more social symptoms you see.
Together the papers paint one picture: from foot choice to full gait, ASD bodies show unstable motor plans.
Why it matters
Check both feet when you ask a child to step, kick, or balance. If they keep switching, give extra visual cues or let them try each side to find the stronger one. Note the inconsistency in your session notes — it may explain why new motor skills look shaky and need more practice trials.
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02At a glance
03Original abstract
Motor control deficits have been documented in children with high functioning autism and Asperger syndrome (HFA/AS), but the extent to which these disorders affect the children's footedness must be delineated. Twelve typically developing (TD) children and 12 children with HFA/AS, ages 6-9 years, were recruited. Motor control skills were assessed through a variety of footedness tasks to determine location and nature of impairment, regarding motor dominance. Overall, greater inconsistencies in dominance arose in children with HFA/AS, through disparities in measures of preference. Results will have broader implications for understanding motor impairments in children with HFA/AS as determined by comparing performance on footedness tasks, as well as for the design of interventions to account for these deficits.
Journal of autism and developmental disorders, 2012 · doi:10.1007/s10803-012-1469-0