Implicit and explicit motor learning: Application to children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD)

This study aims to determine whether children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) are capable of learning a motor skill both implicitly and explicitly.

In the present study, 30 boys with ASD, aged 7-11 with IQ average of 81.2, were compared with 32 typical IQ- and age-matched boys on their performance on a serial reaction time task (SRTT). Children were grouped by ASD and typical children and by implicit and explicit learning groups for the SRTT.

Implicit motor learning occurred in both children with ASD (p=.02) and typical children (p=.01). There were no significant differences between groups (p=.39). However, explicit motor learning was only observed in typical children (p=.01) not children with ASD (p=.40). There was a significant difference between groups for explicit learning (p=.01).

The results of our study showed that implicit motor learning is not affected in children with ASD. Implications for implicit and explicit learning are applied to the CO-OP approach of motor learning with children with ASD.