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Updated: Jun 13, 2025
Testing Sensory and Multisensory Function in Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder
Published on: April 22, 2015
Sensorimotor variability distinguishes early features of cognition in toddlers with autism
Kristina Denisova1, Daniel M Wolpert2
1Division of Math and Natural Sciences, Department of Psychology, Autism Origins Lab, City University of New York, Queens College and Graduate Center, New York, NY 10032, USA.
Insights
Early movement differences in autism spectrum disorder (ASD) are linked to cognitive ability. Higher IQ in autistic toddlers shows resilience, with typical movement patterns, unlike lower-IQ peers.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Developmental Psychology
- Pediatrics
Background:
- Sensorimotor features are crucial for social interaction but understudied in early autism.
- Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) impacts cognition and behavior, with varying sensorimotor profiles.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the relationship between early sensorimotor features and cognitive abilities in toddlers with ASD.
- To determine if intelligence quotient (IQ) influences movement patterns in young children with autism.
Main Methods:
- Quantitative and observational movement analysis in over 1,000 toddlers diagnosed with ASD.
- Comparison of sensorimotor features between lower-IQ and higher-IQ ASD toddlers and typically developing controls.
Main Results:
- Toddlers with lower IQ and ASD exhibited significantly altered sensorimotor features compared to higher-IQ ASD toddlers.
- Higher-IQ ASD toddlers displayed sensorimotor features comparable to typically developing children, indicating cognitive resilience.
- Altered movement patterns in lower-IQ ASD may impact sensorimotor learning and core autistic behaviors.
Conclusions:
- Atypical sensorimotor functioning is a significant characteristic of early childhood autism, particularly in individuals with lower intelligence.
- Cognitive ability, specifically higher IQ, appears to confer resilience against atypical movement development in autism.
- Findings support the need for individualized interventions targeting sensorimotor deficits in specific autism subtypes.
Abstract:
The potential role of early sensorimotor features to atypical human cognition in autistic children has received surprisingly little attention given that appropriate movements are a crucial element that connects us to other people. We examined quantitative and observation-based movements in over 1,000 toddlers diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) with different levels of cognitive abilities (intelligence quotient, IQ). Relative to higher-IQ ASD toddlers, those with lower-IQ had significantly altered sensorimotor features. Remarkably, we found that higher IQ in autistic toddlers confers resilience to atypical movement, as sensorimotor features in higher-IQ ASD children were indistinguishable from those of typically developing healthy control toddlers. We suggest that the altered movement patterns may affect key autistic behaviors in those with lower intelligence by affecting sensorimotor learning mechanisms. Atypical sensorimotor functioning is a key feature in lower-IQ early childhood autism. These findings have implications for the development of individualized interventions for subtypes of autism.
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