Fine Motor Ability and Executive Function in Autistic and Non-autistic Toddlers.
Fine-motor scores at age two predict how well children with and without autism will shift tasks, so quick motor checks can guide early executive-function goals.
01Research in Context
What this study did
The team watched two-year-olds with and without autism. They gave each child fine-motor games like stacking blocks. Parents filled out a short form about how the child shifts from one toy to another and stops an action when asked.
The study wanted to know: does better fine-motor skill go hand-in-hand with better shifting and self-control?
What they found
Kids with autism scored lower on parent-reported shifting and inhibition. Fine-motor scores predicted shifting scores for both groups. Motor skill did not predict the other executive-function areas.
How this fits with other research
Lloyd et al. (2013) showed that fine-motor gaps in autistic toddlers widen every six months. Amanda et al. now add that these early gaps also forecast later shifting trouble.
Stahl et al. (2002) found that joint attention and shifting do not link in autistic toddlers. The new data agree: motor skill predicts shifting, but joint attention still stands apart.
Ketcheson et al. (2018) saw that motor delays did not change how active preschoolers with autism were. Amanda et al. move the spotlight from play time to brain skills: even if kids move around, weak fine-motor scores still flag shifting risk.
Austin et al. (2015) used brain scans to show older autistic children need extra frontal power to switch tasks. The toddler link gives you a cheaper early warning: watch how a child stacks blocks today and you may prevent harder transitions tomorrow.
Why it matters
You can add a five-minute fine-motor probe to your intake. If a toddler struggles to stack four blocks, write a shifting goal now. Pair motor play with clean-up games that practice moving from one set of toys to the next. Early practice may ease the frontal load E et al. saw in older kids.
Want CEUs on This Topic?
The ABA Clubhouse has 60+ free CEUs — live every Wednesday. Ethics, supervision & clinical topics.
Join Free →During play, count how many blocks the child can stack in one minute; note falls and shifts to a new toy—use the stack count to set a shifting-prep goal.
02At a glance
03Original abstract
PURPOSE: Examining early development is paramount to understanding neurodevelopmental disabilities such as autism. Executive functioning (EF) and motor skills are central to development in general and are often co-occurring areas of concern with functional impact for autistic children. This study was conducted to examine the relationship between fine motor (FM) skills and EF in very young children with and without a diagnosis of autism. METHODS: Forty-nine two-year-old children with (n = 27) and without (n = 22) a diagnosis of autism who were recruited as a part of a larger study participated in an in-person assessment while their caregivers completed rating scales. RESULTS: The results indicated that, when controlling for overall cognitive ability, caregivers reported that their autistic toddlers showed significantly greater challenges with inhibition and shifting as compared to neurotypical (NT) peers. Additionally, for both autistic and NT children, FM ability significantly predicted caregiver-reported scores on ability to shift between tasks. This effect was not present for inhibition, emotional control, working memory, or planning/organization. CONCLUSIONS: These results provide further evidence of a relationship between EF and FM and support continued examination of the interconnection of these skills in early development for both autistic and NT children.
Journal of autism and developmental disorders, 2025 · doi:10.3390/brainsci14020121