Sign language and motor functioning in students with autistic disorder.
Fine-motor skill sets the ceiling for how well kids with autism can form signs, so teach location-first signs and build hand strength early.
01Research in Context
What this study did
The team watched low-functioning students with autism use sign language. They scored how well each child made handshapes, movements, and locations.
They also gave simple fine-motor tests and rated signs for vocabulary size.
What they found
Kids were best at getting the sign in the right spot. Handshape and movement were harder.
Fine-motor age and apraxia scores lined up with sign accuracy. Better fine-motor skill meant clearer signs.
How this fits with other research
Tal-Saban et al. (2019) saw the same link in college students: fine-motor scores predicted handwriting, just like here they predict sign clarity.
Noda et al. (2013) found fine-motor skill drove copying accuracy in second graders. The pattern crosses languages and tasks.
Takahashi et al. (2023) meta-analysis shows big movement-skill gaps in kids with ID and ASD. Our 1997 cases fall inside that picture, not against it.
Why it matters
If you teach sign to non-verbal learners, check fine-motor skill first. Start with signs that need only placement; save tricky handshapes until motor practice catches up. Pair daily fine-motor warm-ups with sign lessons to speed vocabulary growth.
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Join Free →Test one sign that needs only location (e.g., WHERE) and one that needs tricky handshape; reinforce the location-only sign first while running a 2-minute fine-motor warm-up.
02At a glance
03Original abstract
Sign language production of 14 low-functioning students diagnosed with autistic disorder was examined. Videotapes of the students signing with their teachers were analyzed for frequency and accuracy of sign location, handshape, and movement production. The location aspect of signs was produced more accurately by the subjects than either the handshape or movement aspects. Wide individual differences were evident among the students in the number of signs they produced, accuracy of sign formation, and performance on measures of motor functioning. Students' sign vocabulary size and accuracy of sign formation were highly correlated with their performance on two measures of apraxia and with their fine motor age scores.
Journal of autism and developmental disorders, 1997 · doi:10.1023/a:1025809506097