Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jan 21, 2026

Novel Object Exploration as a Potential Assay for Higher Order Repetitive Behaviors in Mice
08:28

Novel Object Exploration as a Potential Assay for Higher Order Repetitive Behaviors in Mice

Published on: August 20, 2016

8.9K

Repetitive Motor Behaviors in Non-Autistic Toddlers

Monique Moore Hill1, Devon Gangi1, Shy Maqbool1

  • 1Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences, MIND Institute, University of California-Davis, Sacramento, CA.

The Journal of Pediatrics
|January 19, 2026
PubMed

Insights

Repetitive motor behaviors (RMBs) are common in non-autistic toddlers, appearing in 36% of children. These behaviors are more frequent in those with other developmental concerns but do not automatically indicate autism.

Area of Science:

  • Developmental psychology
  • Pediatric neurology
  • Child psychiatry

Background:

  • Repetitive motor behaviors (RMBs) are a diagnostic criterion for Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD).
  • Understanding RMBs in non-autistic toddlers is crucial for accurate diagnosis and intervention.
  • Previous research has primarily focused on RMBs in diagnosed autistic populations.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To evaluate the prevalence and characteristics of RMBs in a community sample of non-autistic toddlers.
  • To compare RMBs in non-autistic toddlers with and without other developmental concerns.
  • To explore clinical correlates of RMBs in toddlers without autism.

Main Methods:

  • A cohort study involving 679 toddlers (24 and 36 months old) from a community sample.
  • Direct observational methods were used to assess repetitive motor behaviors (RMBs).
  • Participants were categorized into autistic (n=65), non-autistic with other developmental concerns (ODC, n=104), and non-autistic with no developmental concerns (NDC, n=510) groups.

Main Results:

  • 36% of non-autistic children exhibited RMBs at 24 and/or 36 months.
  • RMBs were significantly more prevalent in the ODC group (55%) compared to the NDC group (33%).
  • Non-autistic toddlers with RMBs showed lower communication scores and higher autism-related symptomatology scores, though effect sizes were small.

Conclusions:

  • Repetitive motor behaviors are not uncommon in toddlers without autism.
  • While more frequent in those with other developmental challenges, RMBs can also occur in typically developing children.
  • RMBs alone, without core social communication deficits, should not be considered definitive evidence of autism.
Abstract

Keywords:
autismdevelopmentrepetitive motor behaviorstoddlers

More Related Videos

Strategies for Assessing Autistic-Like Behaviors in Mice07:38

Strategies for Assessing Autistic-Like Behaviors in Mice

Published on: September 20, 2024

2.2K
Use of a Video Scoring Anchor for Rapid Serial Assessment of Social Communication in Toddlers09:16

Use of a Video Scoring Anchor for Rapid Serial Assessment of Social Communication in Toddlers

Published on: March 14, 2018

10.7K

Related Concept Videos

What is Behavior?00:54

What is Behavior?

Behaviors are actions that an organism engages in—they can be related to finding food, reproducing, defending against threats, and many other possible actions. Behaviors include activities related to the environment around the animal—such as migration—as well as social interactions within a species or population. Many behaviors involve motor output—that is, muscle movements—while others involve less visible actions, such as learning.
10.2K
Motor Units00:46

Motor Units

A motor unit consists of two main components: a single efferent motor neuron (i.e., a neuron that carries impulses away from the central nervous system) and all of the muscle fibers it innervates. The motor neuron may innervate multiple muscle fibers, which are single cells, but only one motor neuron innervates a single muscle fiber.
61.7K
Motor Units01:13

Motor Units

The motor unit is a fundamental component of the neuromuscular system and plays a crucial role in coordinating muscle contractions. It consists of a somatic motor neuron, which connects and controls multiple skeletal muscle fibers, forming a single functional segment. The axon of the motor neuron branches out and establishes synaptic connections known as neuromuscular junctions with individual muscle fibers within the motor unit.
Motor units come in different sizes, with smaller units...
7.5K
Motor Unit Stimulation01:20

Motor Unit Stimulation

When the neuron of a motor unit fires an action potential, it triggers a series of events, leading to a twitch contraction in the muscle fibers. The process of excitation-contraction coupling is crucial in relaying the action potential to the muscle fibers.
The latent period of contraction marks the onset of excitation-contraction coupling, when the action potential propagates across the sarcolemma, preparing the muscle fibers for contraction. As the fibers enter the contraction phase, the...
3.6K
Hierarchy of Motor Control01:18

Hierarchy of Motor Control

The hierarchy of motor control refers to the different levels of organization and processing involved in controlling movement in the body. These levels range from higher cortical areas involved in planning and decision-making to lower spinal cord reflexes that respond automatically to external stimuli.
5.9K
Direct Motor Pathways01:11

Direct Motor Pathways

The direct motor pathways, also known as the pyramidal tracts, are a group of neural pathways that originate in the brain and descend through the spinal cord. They control the voluntary movement of the body. There are two major direct motor pathways: the corticospinal and the corticobulbar tracts.
The corticospinal tract is responsible for the voluntary movement of the limbs and trunk. It originates in the cerebral cortex of the brain and descends through the cerebrum's internal capsule and...
4.2K