The reach-to-grasp movement in infants later diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder: a high-risk sibling cohort study
Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jan 31, 2026
Frame-by-Frame Video Analysis of Idiosyncratic Reach-to-Grasp Movements in Humans
Published on: January 15, 2018
Lori-Ann R Sacrey1,2, Lonnie Zwaigenbaum3,4, Susan Bryson5,6
1Department of Pediatrics, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. sacrey@ualberta.ca.
Insights
Children later diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) exhibit impaired early motor skills, specifically in reaching-to-grasp movements. Early identification of these motor differences is crucial for timely intervention in high-risk infants.
Area of Science:
- Developmental neuroscience
- Pediatric motor development
- Autism spectrum disorder research
Background:
- Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is primarily defined by social communication deficits and repetitive behaviors.
- Emerging evidence suggests motor impairments may be an integral component of the ASD phenotype.
- Investigating early motor development offers insights into the broader spectrum of ASD characteristics.
Purpose of the Study:
- To analyze the reaching-to-grasp motor act in infants at high risk (HR) for ASD.
- To compare motor performance between high-risk infants who develop ASD and those who do not, as well as low-risk controls.
- To identify early motor markers associated with later ASD diagnosis.
Main Methods:
- Infants were enrolled between 6 and 12 months, with reaching-to-grasp movements assessed longitudinally up to 36 months using the Skilled Reaching Rating Scale.
- A Mixed Models analysis was employed to detect group, age, and sex differences in motor mechanics.
- Diagnostic outcomes at 36 months categorized infants into HR-ASD, HR-Not Diagnosed (HR-N), and Low-Risk (LR) groups.
Main Results:
- Infants who later received an ASD diagnosis (HR-ASD group) demonstrated significantly higher (indicating impairment) total scores in reaching-to-grasp.
- Specific motor components, including Orient, Lift, and Pronate, were also significantly impaired in the HR-ASD group compared to LR and HR-N groups.
- These findings reveal distinct early motor performance differences in infants who develop ASD.
Conclusions:
- The study confirms that children later diagnosed with ASD exhibit impaired early motor performance.
- Early motor surveillance in high-risk infants is recommended to identify potential prodromal signs of ASD.
- Focusing on early movement and sensory differences, alongside social and behavioral indicators, can facilitate earlier identification and intervention for ASD.
Background:
Although autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is characterized by impairments in social communication and the presence of repetitive behavior and/or restricted interests, there is evidence that motor impairments may be a contributing factor to the ASD phenotype. The purpose of this study was to examine the motor act of reaching-to-grasp in children at high risk (HR; with an older sibling diagnosed with ASD) and low-risk (LR; no family history of ASD) for ASD.
Methods:
Children were compared for differences in reaching-to-grasp based on sibling status and diagnostic outcome. Children were enrolled between 6 and 12 months of age and the reach-to-grasp movement was scored at 6, 9, (where available) 12, 15, 18, 24, and 36 months of age using the qualitative Skilled Reaching Rating Scale to determine the presence of any group-, age-, or sex-related differences in the mechanics of the reach-to-grasp movement using a Mixed Models analysis. At 36 months, all children underwent a gold-standard diagnostic assessment, which resulted in three outcome groups: HR children diagnosed with ASD (HR-ASD; n = 10), HR children not diagnosed with ASD (HR-N; n = 10), and low-risk children not diagnosed with ASD (LR; n = 10).
Results:
The group of children who were later diagnosed with ASD (HR-ASD group) showed higher (worse) total scores on the reach-to-grasp movement, as well as higher scores on the components of Orient, Lift, and Pronate compared to children in the LR and HR-N groups.
Conclusions:
Our results support the growing literature indicating that children who are later diagnosed with ASD show impaired early motor performance. These results highlight the importance of early surveillance of children who are at elevated risk for ASD, and early initiatives should focus on early signs of the phenotype, including both movement and sensory differences (prodromal signs) prior to the emergence of diagnostic characteristics.
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