Measuring Dyspraxia in Autism using a Five-Minute Praxis Exam

Area of Science:

• Neurodevelopmental Disorders
• Motor Control and Learning

Background:

• Difficulties with praxis (skilled motor movements) are common in autism spectrum disorder (autism).
• Current praxis assessments are time-consuming, limiting routine inclusion in autism characterization.
• A brief measure is needed to assess dyspraxia in autism.

Purpose of the Study:

• To determine if a brief, 5-minute praxis battery can accurately capture motor skill deficits in autistic youth.
• To assess the feasibility of incorporating praxis assessment into autism diagnostic and research protocols.

Main Methods:

• A 19-item, 5-minute praxis battery was administered to 41 autistic youth and 32 typically developing controls (ages 8-16).
• The battery included subtests on gesture, tool use, and imitation (familiar and meaningless).
• Video recordings were analyzed for error types and compared with participant characteristics.

Main Results:

• Autistic youth exhibited significantly more praxis errors than controls, consistent with findings from longer assessments.
• Both groups showed similar patterns of error types, indicating dyspraxia in autism is not specific to one error category.
• In autistic youth, praxis performance correlated with adaptive functioning but not autism traits.

Conclusions:

• A shortened praxis battery is sensitive enough to detect motor skill differences in autism.
• This brief assessment increases the practicality of including praxis in clinical evaluations and research.
• Praxis assessment can aid in understanding relationships between motor skills and other developmental outcomes in autism.