Evidence for specificity of motor impairments in catching and balance in children with autism.
Low MABC-2 catching and balance scores point toward autism rather than ADHD.
01Research in Context
What this study did
The team gave the MABC-2 to three groups: kids with autism, kids with ADHD, and kids with no diagnosis.
They looked at two tasks: catching a beanbag and standing still on one foot.
The goal was to see if motor scores could help tell autism apart from ADHD.
What they found
Children with autism missed more catches and wobbled sooner on balance than both other groups.
Kids with ADHD did about the same as typical kids on these two tasks.
The authors say poor catching and balance can flag autism-specific motor problems.
How this fits with other research
Martín-Díaz et al. (2024) saw the same balance gap ten years later, so the finding holds up.
Martín-Díaz et al. (2026) pooled 34 studies and also found big balance problems in autism, which backs the target paper.
Mao et al. (2014) muddies the water: they saw balance trouble in ADHD-combined type. The clash fades when you notice they tested a stricter ADHD subtype and used harder balance boards.
Pickard et al. (2022) gives hope: a community football program raised MABC-2 catching and balance scores for autistic kids, proving these skills can improve.
Why it matters
If a child scores low on MABC-2 catching and static balance, think autism first, not ADHD.
Use these quick items during intake to sharpen your differential diagnosis.
When autism is confirmed, add ball-play and single-leg stance games to the plan; Pickard et al. (2022) shows they work.
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02At a glance
03Original abstract
To evaluate evidence for motor impairment specificity in autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Children completed performance-based assessment of motor functioning (Movement Assessment Battery for Children: MABC-2). Logistic regression models were used to predict group membership. In the models comparing typically developing and developmental disability (DD), all three MABC subscale scores were significantly negatively associated with having a DD. In the models comparing ADHD and ASD, catching and static balance items were associated with ASD group membership, with a 1 point decrease in performance increasing odds of ASD by 36 and 39 %, respectively. Impairments in motor skills requiring the coupling of visual and temporal feedback to guide and adjust movement appear specifically deficient in ASD.
Journal of autism and developmental disorders, 2015 · doi:10.1177/1087054712454569.