Motor impairment in sibling pairs concordant and discordant for autism spectrum disorders.
Motor deficits are a core part of autism, so screen and treat movement skills early.
01Research in Context
What this study did
Hilton et al. (2012) looked at motor skills in pairs of brothers and sisters. One child in each pair had autism. The other either had autism too or was developing typically.
They gave every child the BOT-2 movement test. They also rated autism severity and IQ. Then they compared scores inside each pair.
What they found
Most kids with autism scored far below average on balance, running, and ball skills. Their motor scores lined up with how severe their autism traits were.
Brothers and sisters without autism moved like typical kids. Poor motor skills lived only with the autism diagnosis, not with shared family genes.
How this fits with other research
Plant et al. (2007) saw the same pattern in teens with high-functioning autism. Motor trouble stayed strong even in older, brighter kids. This tells us the deficit does not fade with age or IQ.
Kelley et al. (2006) also found clumsy movement in children with autism. They added one extra clue: lower finger-length ratios, a marker of fetal testosterone. The motor problem replicates; the hormone link is new.
Lindor et al. (2018) looked at visual "super powers" in autism. Kids only showed the sharp visual search if their motor skills were good. When motor skills were poor, the visual edge vanished. This turns the old idea of "islands of genius" on its head: motor skill now gate-keeps the talent.
Why it matters
If you work with children with autism, always screen motor skills. Use the BOT-2 or watch balance, catching, and shoe tying. Build motor goals into the treatment plan: practice jumping, balancing beams, or tossing beanbags. Better movement may open doors to social play and even boost visual strengths.
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02At a glance
03Original abstract
AIM: Although motor impairment is frequently observed in children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD), the manner in which these impairments aggregate in families affected by autism is unknown. We used a standardized measure of motor proficiency to objectively examine quantitative variation in motor proficiency in sibling pairs concordant and discordant for ASD. METHODS: Motor impairment of sibling pairs from 67 ASD-affected families comprising 29 concordant pairings and 48 discordant pairings were assessed using the Bruininks Oseretsky Test of Motor Proficiency, 2nd Edition, a standardized measure of motor proficiency. RESULTS: Motor skills were substantially impaired among ASD-affected children and highly correlated with autistic severity and IQ, whereas motor skills in unaffected siblings were essentially normal. Total motor composite scores of at least one standard deviation below the general population mean were seen in 83% of the affected group compared with 6% in the unaffected siblings. INTERPRETATION: Findings indicate that motor impairment constitutes a core characteristic of ASD (not necessarily an ASD endophenotype), which has distinct implications for taxonomy, diagnosis, and approaches to intervention.
Autism : the international journal of research and practice, 2012 · doi:10.1177/1362361311423018