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Limited fine motor and grasping skills in 6-month-old infants at high risk for autism
Klaus Libertus1, Kelly A Sheperd, Samuel W Ross
1Kennedy Krieger Institute; Johns Hopkins School of Medicine.
Insights
Infants at high risk for autism spectrum disorder (ASD) show differences in early motor skills. By 6 months, these infants display less mature object manipulation and grasping, though grasping activity increases by 10 months.
Area of Science:
- Neurodevelopmental disorders
- Pediatric motor development
- Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) research
Background:
- Atypical motor behaviors are frequently observed in children diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (ASD).
- Early motor development differences in infants who later receive an ASD diagnosis are not well understood.
- Investigating early motor skills can provide insights into the developmental trajectories of ASD.
Purpose of the Study:
- To examine motor skills in 6-month-old infants with an elevated risk for ASD.
- To compare the motor development of high-risk infants with that of lower-risk infants.
- To understand the functional implications of early motor differences in the context of ASD.
Main Methods:
- Prospective study design involving two experiments with infants at high risk for ASD.
- Assessment of motor skills using the Mullen Scales of Early Learning (MSEL) in a structured setting.
- Observation of object manipulation and grasping during unstructured toy play.
Main Results:
- High-risk infants demonstrated less mature object manipulation skills within the MSEL assessment compared to controls.
- Reduced grasping activity was observed in high-risk infants during free-play, an unstructured context.
- Longitudinal data indicated an increase in grasping activity among high-risk infants between 6 and 10 months of age.
Conclusions:
- Infants at high risk for ASD exhibit distinct patterns of early motor development.
- Differences in object manipulation and grasping may be early indicators of neurodevelopmental differences associated with ASD.
- Further research is needed to explore the long-term implications of these early motor findings.
Abstract:
Atypical motor behaviors are common among children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD). However, little is known about onset and functional implications of differences in early motor development among infants later diagnosed with ASD. Two prospective experiments were conducted to investigate motor skills among 6-month-olds at increased risk (high risk) for ASD (N1 = 129; N2 = 46). Infants were assessed using the Mullen Scales of Early Learning (MSEL) and during toy play. Across both experiments, high-risk infants exhibited less mature object manipulation in a highly structured (MSEL) context and reduced grasping activity in an unstructured (free-play) context than infants with no family history of ASD. Longitudinal assessments suggest that between 6 and 10 months, grasping activity increases in high-risk infants.
