Comparison of Asperger syndrome and high-functioning autistic children on a test of motor impairment.
Motor clumsiness is equally common in Asperger and high-functioning autism, so don’t rely on it for differential diagnosis.
01Research in Context
What this study did
The team gave a motor test to two groups of bright autistic kids. One group had an Asperger label. The other had high-functioning autism.
They wanted to know if the Asperger kids were clumsier. Clinicians used to think motor clumsiness set Asperger apart.
What they found
Both groups scored the same. About half of each group showed real motor problems.
Clumsiness could not tell the labels apart.
How this fits with other research
Howlin (2003) and Allen et al. (2001) ran the same test with different traits. They looked at early language delay instead of motor skills. All three studies found no gap between Asperger and high-functioning autism.
Vanvuchelen et al. (2017) later showed that parent questionnaires miss many of these motor issues. They tell us to add a real motor test to every autism assessment.
Gabis et al. (2020) adds a twist: girls with autism show motor delay more often than boys. The 50-50 split seen here may hide that sex pattern.
Why it matters
Stop using clumsiness, early speech, or language history to choose between Asperger and autism labels. They all point to the same profile. Just screen every bright autistic child for motor problems and treat what you find.
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02At a glance
03Original abstract
Compared the motor impairment levels of Asperger syndrome and high functioning autistic children using a standardized test, the Test of Motor Impairment-Henderson Revision. The two groups did not differ on either total or subscale impairment scores. Intelligence level was negatively correlated with motor impairment although the relationship was mostly accounted for by the Asperger children. There was considerable variability within both clinical groups but 50% of Asperger children and 67% of autistic children showed a clinically significant level of motor impairment. Results offer no support for clumsiness as a diagnostically differentiating feature of these disorders.
Journal of autism and developmental disorders, 1995 · doi:10.1007/BF02178165