Motor Coordination in Autism Spectrum Disorders: A Synthesis and Meta-Analysis
๐ Original study โPlain English Summary
This big-picture analysis pooled 41 studies spanning three decades to ask: do people with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) have unusual motor coordination โ balance, arm movements, walking? The answer was a resounding yes. The gap between autistic and non-autistic individuals was large and consistent across every age group, limb, and ASD subtype. Statistical checks confirmed the finding was rock-solid, not a fluke of selective publishing. Why does this matter? If clumsy movement is a core feature of autism, it flips a major debate. Communication difficulties might stem partly from motor problems rather than lacking social motivation, making movement-based support just as important as social skills training.
Actual Paper Abstract
Are motor coordination de๏ฌcits an underlying cardinal feature of Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD)? Database searches identi๏ฌed 83 ASD studies focused on motor coordination, arm movements, gait, or postural stability de๏ฌcits. Data extraction involved between-group comparisons for ASD and typically developing controls (N = 51). Rigorous meta-analysis techniques including random effects models, forest and funnel plots, I2, publication bias, fail-safe analysis, and moderator variable analyses determined a signi๏ฌcant standardized mean difference effect equal to 1.20 (SE = 0.144; p < 0.0001; Z = 10.49). This large effect indicated substantial motor coordination de๏ฌcits in the ASD groups across a wide range of behaviors. The current overall ๏ฌndings portray motor coordination de๏ฌcits as pervasive across diagnoses, thus, a cardinal feature of ASD.
Research Notes
Provides the quantitative meta-analytic foundation for viewing motor dysfunction as core to ASD, supporting Donnellan (2013) and Robledo (2012). Key to the autism-communication section: if motor coordination is a cardinal ASD feature, motor-based communication difficulties may be more fundamental than social-motivational accounts suggest.
A random-effects meta-analysis of 41 studies (51 between-group comparisons, 1980-2009) examined whether motor coordination deficits distinguish individuals with ASD from typically developing controls. Searches of PubMed, Web of Knowledge, and Cochrane identified studies measuring motor coordination, arm movements, gait, or postural stability. The overall standardized mean difference was large (SMD = 1.20, p < 0.0001, 95% CI [0.973, 1.42]), with I-squared = 78%. Moderator analyses showed deficits across all ASD subtypes, both upper and lower extremities, and all age groups. Fail-safe N of 6,114 and symmetrical funnel plots indicated minimal publication bias. Motor coordination deficits are pervasive enough to qualify as a cardinal feature of ASD.
Links
Related Papers
Companion
- An Exploration of Sensory and Movement Differences from the Perspective of Individuals with Autism โ Robledo, Jodi (2012)
- Rethinking Autism: Implications of Sensory and Movement Differences for Understanding and Support โ Donnellan, Anne M (2013)
- The social motivation theory of autism โ Chevallier, Coralie (2012)
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๐ Cite this paper
Fournier, Kimberly A, Hass, Chris J, Naik, Sagar K, Lodha, Neha, Cauraugh, James H (2010). Motor Coordination in Autism Spectrum Disorders: A Synthesis and Meta-Analysis. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10803-010-0981-3
@article{fournier_2010_motor_autism,
title = {Motor Coordination in Autism Spectrum Disorders: A Synthesis and Meta-Analysis},
author = {Fournier, Kimberly A and Hass, Chris J and Naik, Sagar K and Lodha, Neha and Cauraugh, James H},
year = {2010},
journal = {Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders},
doi = {10.1007/s10803-010-0981-3},
}