[Kinematics of Stair Ascent in Children and Adolescents with Autism Spectrum Disorder]

We analyzed kinematics of stair ascent and descent in autistic children and adolescents in comparison with age-matched healthy children and adolescents. Eight healthy adolescents, 6 autistic adolescents, 7 healthy children and 6 autistic children participated in the study. We found that autistic subjects of both groups showed significantly more fluctuations of hip joint angular velocity than age-matched control subjects while preparing for stair ascent. During preparation for stair descent these velocity fluctuations appeared mainly in autistic adolescents, moreover, autistic children exhibited less velocity fluctuations than children in control group while preparing for stair descent. The kinematics of the movement itself demonstrated significantly less hip abduction in both autistic children and adolescents than in age-matched controls during stair ascent, and less ankle joint plantar extension in autistic adolescents than in healthy adolescents during stair descent. We suppose that age-related changes in kinematics of leg motion during stair ascent and descent in autistic patients indicate aggravated motor coordination in autistic adolescents as compared with both healthy adolescents and autistic children.