The Relationship Between Developmental Coordination Disorder and Concurrent Deficits in Social Communication and Repetitive Behaviors Among Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder.
Motor coordination trouble is the norm in autism and quietly fuels both social and repetitive symptoms.
01Research in Context
What this study did
Thomas et al. (2021) ran a big survey of families with autistic children. They asked parents to fill out checklists about motor skills, social talk, and repetitive habits.
The team wanted to know how many kids with autism also show signs of developmental coordination disorder, or DCD. They also checked if motor trouble makes core autism traits worse.
What they found
Eight out of ten autistic kids scored at risk for DCD. That risk stayed high even after the team counted out kids with intellectual disability.
Children who were at risk for DCD also had lower social-communication scores and more intense repetitive behaviors. Motor issues added extra weight to both core areas.
How this fits with other research
Payne et al. (2020) saw motor trouble in about one third of preschoolers with autism. R et al. now show the share is far higher when you use a DCD screen. The jump hints that earlier studies may have missed mild cases.
Lizon et al. (2024) looked deeper and found that autism motor errors are not the same as plain DCD errors. Kids with autism struggle more with timing and getting ready to move. So the huge DCD risk flagged by R et al. needs autism-tuned drills, not generic physical-therapy games.
Iarocci et al. (2017) linked messy handwriting to stiffer autism traits. R et al. widen the lens and say the link holds for every-day motor tasks, not just writing.
Why it matters
If you treat an autistic child who keeps falling, dropping things, or avoiding gym, do not shrug it off. Screen for DCD with a quick parent checklist like the DCD-Q. When the score is high, add motor goals to the behavior plan and pick tasks that teach anticipation, not just strength. You may see social bids and flexible play rise as coordination improves.
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02At a glance
03Original abstract
Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), characterized by core deficits in social communication and restrictive behaviors, can exhibit concurrent motor incoordination and/or intellectual disability (ID). While pervasive delays in motor behavior are common, formal diagnosis of Development Coordination Disorder (DCD) is uncommon. It is not clear how DCD and ID impact core deficits in ASD. This study utilized the Simons Foundation SPARK cohort to describe the scope of motor incoordination among children with ASD and examine the interrelationships between DCD risk, ID, and ASD core deficits. 10,234 children with ASD, between the ages of 5 and 15 years, were included in the analysis. Parents completed online versions of the DCD Questionnaire (DCD-Q), Social Communication Questionnaire (SCQ) and Restrictive Behavior Scale (RBS-R). 85% of children with ASD had DCD-Q scores consistent with being at-risk for DCD, but only 14% reported a formal diagnosis. Children with ID exhibited significantly greater motor incoordination compared to children without ID (P < 0.001). Significantly, greater core deficits were identified in both children at-risk for DCD (P < 0.001) and with ID (P < 0.001). However, the effects of DCD risk were independent of ID and exhibited a medium effect size for SCQ (η2p = 0.063) and a small effect size for RBS-R (η2p = 0.04) scores. Collectively, study outcomes reinforce the pervasiveness of motor incoordination among children with ASD, both with and without concurrent ID, and provide further justification for the inclusion of motor behavior in the early intervention and prescription for children with ASD. LAY SUMMARY: This secondary data analysis of the Simons Foundation SPARK cohort found high rates (85%) of DCD risk among children with ASD. Deficits in motor coordination were greater among children with ASD with concurrent ID diagnoses. Meaningful differences in ASD core deficits (social communication and repetitive behaviors) were independently found in children at risk for DCD, both with and without ID. Autism Res 2021, 14: 804-816. © 2021 International Society for Autism Research and Wiley Periodicals LLC.
Autism research : official journal of the International Society for Autism Research, 2021 · doi:10.1002/aur.2469