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Underdevelopment of the postural control system in autism
Nancy J Minshew1, KiBum Sung, Bobby L Jones
1Department of Psychiatry, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, 3811 O'Hara St., Webster Hall, Suite 300, Pittsburgh, PA 15213, USA. minshewnj@upmc.edu
Neurology
|December 15, 2004
Summary
Autistic individuals exhibit impaired postural control, with stability development delayed and reaching lower adult levels. These motor deficits suggest broader neural integration challenges in autism spectrum disorder (ASD).
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Developmental Psychology
- Biomedical Engineering
Background:
- Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a neurodevelopmental condition characterized by challenges in social interaction and communication.
- Motor system abnormalities, including postural control deficits, are increasingly recognized in individuals with ASD.
- Understanding these motor challenges may offer insights into the broader neural underpinnings of ASD.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the presence of postural control abnormalities in individuals with autism.
- To examine the relationship between age and postural control in autistic individuals.
- To assess the developmental trajectory of postural stability in autism.
Main Methods:
- Dynamic posturography was employed to assess postural stability in 79 autistic individuals (without mental retardation) and 61 typically developing controls.
- Participants ranged in age from 5 to 52 years.
- Both the sensory organization and movement coordination components of the test were administered.
Main Results:
- Autistic subjects demonstrated significantly reduced postural stability compared to controls (p = 0.002).
- Postural stability development was delayed in autistic individuals (p < 0.001) and did not reach typical adult levels (p = 0.004).
- Deficits were most pronounced under conditions requiring integration of multiple sensory inputs, particularly when somatosensory information was compromised, indicating impaired multimodal sensory integration.
Conclusions:
- Individuals with autism exhibit significant deficits in postural control, which persist into adulthood.
- The findings suggest developmental delays and incomplete maturation of postural stability in autism.
- These motor control issues point to more widespread neural integration difficulties in autism, extending beyond social and communication domains.