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Testing Sensory and Multisensory Function in Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder
Published on: April 22, 2015
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Characterizing cognitive and visuomotor control in children with sensory processing dysfunction and autism spectrum
Anne Brandes-Aitken1, Joaquin A Anguera1, Camarin E Rolle1
1Department of Neurology, University of California.
Neuropsychology
|January 30, 2018
Summary
Children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) and sensory processing dysfunction (SPD) show impaired cognitive and visuomotor control. Both groups performed similarly on visuomotor tasks, while ASD had the most attention deficits.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Developmental Psychology
- Clinical Psychology
Background:
- Children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) and sensory processing dysfunction (SPD) often exhibit challenges in cognitive and visuomotor control.
- Understanding these control deficits is crucial for effective intervention strategies.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate cognitive control and visuomotor abilities in children with ASD, SPD, and typically developing controls (TDC).
- To determine if performance on computerized behavioral measures differentiates these groups.
Main Methods:
- Assessed selective attention with and without distractors to measure cognitive control.
- Evaluated visuomotor tracking and tracing skills.
- Analyzed performance using composite scores and task-specific metrics.
Main Results:
- Children with ASD demonstrated the most significant deficits in selective attention.
- Children with SPD showed intermediate selective attention abilities, performing between ASD and TDC groups.
- Both ASD and SPD groups exhibited similarly impaired visuomotor abilities compared to TDC.
Conclusions:
- Phenotypic characterization of control-based abilities is vital for personalized interventions in children with ASD and SPD.
- A relationship exists between cognitive and visuomotor control networks, suggesting overlapping neural systems.
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