Physiological Profile Assessment of Posture in Children and Adolescents with Autism Spectrum Disorder and Typically Developing Peers

Abstract

A sound postural system requires sensorimotor integration. Evidence suggests that individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) present sensorimotor integration impairments. The Physiological Profile Assessment (PPA) can be used to evaluate postural capacity assessing five physiological subsets (i.e., vision, reaction time, peripheral sensation, lower limb strength, balance); however, no studies applied the PPA in young individuals. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the PPA in children and adolescents with ASD compared with age-matched typically developing (TD) individuals and examine the relationship between the PPA subset within the ASD and TD participants according to different age groups. Percentiles from the PPA were obtained from the TD children and adolescents (n = 135) for each test. Performances of the individuals with ASD (n = 18) were examined relative to the TD percentiles. ASD participants’ scores were above the 90th percentile (i.e., poor performance) in most sensory, motor and balance parameters. Performance in most of the PPA tests significantly improved with older age in the TD group but not in the ASD group. The study findings support the use of the PPA in TD children and adolescents while further research should investigate postural capacity in a larger ASD sample to enhance the understanding of sensorimotor systems contributing to compromised postural control.

Early Motor Signs in Autism Spectrum Disorder

“…ASD diagnosis is still clinical; apart from the core signs of autism, for some time a large number of heterogeneous signs of motor development impairment have been reported in infants and children with ASD. Below, we report some of the most relevant of these signs described in the literature during the past few years: delayed motor development; persistent asymmetry when lying on the stomach at 4 months of age; righting from the supine to the prone position moving all the body en bloc not in a corkscrew fashion; abnormal patterns of crawling; walking asymmetry; sequencing instead of superimposition of one movement on the other for example during gait; unusual positions of arms; poor coordination; muscle tone and reflex abnormalities; choreiform movement of extremities; impaired finger-thumb opposition; stereotyped movements of the body, limbs, and fingers, including hand flapping; unusual gait patterns, including walking on tiptoes; poor motor imitation; impairment of postural control [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 , 6 ]. An approximate idea of the prevalence of motor impairment in ASD is given by Ming et al, who in 154 children found: hypotonia in 51% of cases, apraxia in 34%, walking on tiptoes in 19%, and gross motor delay in 9% [ 7 ].…”

Attention to Face as a Predictor of Developmental Change and Treatment Outcome in Young Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder

“…Autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) refer to a group of neurodevelopmental disorders characterized by marked deficits in social communication and social interactions, along with restricted, repetitive behaviors or interests [1]. Among the several early signs of ASD that have been studied [2][3][4], diminished attention toward social information, or impaired social orienting, emerges as the earliest and the most robust [5][6][7]. Social orienting refers to the child's spontaneous attention toward social information [8].…”

“…ADOS-2, Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule, 2nd edition, 2 MSEL, Mullen Scales of Early Learning,3 AE, Age Equivalent score,4 ESDM-AF+, children with more attention to face at baseline receiving early and intensive intervention,5 ESDM-AF-, children with less attention to face at baseline receiving early and intensive intervention,6 CT-AF+, children with more attention to face at baseline receiving community treatment,7 CT-AF-, children with less attention to face at baseline receiving community treatment.…”

Patterns of Restricted and Repetitive Behaviors in Autism Spectrum Disorders: A Cross-Sectional Video Recording Study. Preliminary Report

“…Recently, Melo, Ruano, Jorge, Pinto Ribeiro, Oliveira, Azevedo, and Temudo [ 3 ] reported a higher prevalence of motor stereotypies in individuals with ASD and lower Intellective Quotient (IQ), while gender was not associated with its prevalence. Children and adolescents with ASD may also show postural deficits compared to typically developed peers [ 18 ].…”