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Early Motor Differences in Infants at Elevated Likelihood of Autism Spectrum Disorder and/or Attention Deficit

Jannath Begum Ali1, Tony Charman2, Mark H Johnson3,4

  • 1Centre for Brain and Cognitive Development, Department of Psychological Sciences, Birkbeck, University of London, Henry Wellcome Building, Malet Street, London, WC1E 7HX, UK. jannath.begum@bbk.ac.uk.

Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders
|April 25, 2020
PubMed

Insights

Infants at higher risk for Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) showed fewer midline-crossing behaviors at 10 months. This difference was linked to later ADHD traits, suggesting early motor differences may relate to neurodevelopment.

Area of Science:

  • Developmental Psychology
  • Neuroscience
  • Pediatrics

Background:

  • Infant manual motor behavior, particularly midline crossing, is crucial for development.
  • Altered motor behaviors are observed in neurodevelopmental disorders like Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD).

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate manual behaviors crossing the body midline in infants with elevated likelihood of ASD and/or ADHD.
  • To examine the relationship between midline crossing behaviors and later ASD/ADHD traits.

Main Methods:

  • Longitudinal study tracking infant manual motor behavior.
  • Observation of behaviors crossing the body midline at 5, 10, and 14 months.
  • Correlation analysis with ASD and ADHD traits at 2 years.

Main Results:

  • Infants at elevated risk for ASD/ADHD exhibited fewer midline-crossing behaviors at 10 months, but not at 5 or 14 months.
  • Midline crossing at 10 months did not predict ASD traits but was associated with ADHD traits at 2 years.
  • Motor ability and hand dominance were ruled out as confounding factors.

Conclusions:

  • Early differences in midline crossing may be an indicator of later Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) traits.
  • These findings suggest a potential link between early motor development, multisensory integration, and neurobehavioral shifts in infancy.
  • Further research is needed to explore the neurobiological underpinnings of these observations.

Keywords:
Attention deficit hyperactivity disorderAutism spectrum disorderMidline crossingMotor abilityReaching

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