Department of Physical Therapy, Fooyin University, 151 Jinxue Road, Daliao District, Kaohsiung City 83102, Taiwan; and School and Graduate Institute of Physical Therapy, College of Medicine, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan.
School and Graduate Institute of Physical Therapy, College of Medicine, National Taiwan University.
Phys Ther. 2019 Sep 1;99(9):1231-1241. doi: 10.1093/ptj/pzz084.
Increasing evidence shows common motor deficits associated with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) that can relate to impaired planning and control processes of the sensorimotor system. Catching is a fundamental motor skill that requires coordination between vision, posture, and arm movements. Although postural control and ball catching have been shown to be impaired in children with ASD, previous studies have not investigated how these components are integrated.
The objective of this study was to investigate the sensorimotor control of arm movements and postural adjustments during ball catching in children with and without ASD.
This study employed a cross-sectional design.
Fifteen children with ASD (mean [SD] age = 8.8 [1.2] years; 12 boys) and 15 age- and sex-matched typically developing children participated in this study. Children were asked to catch a ball rolling down a ramp in 6 test conditions in which visual inputs and ramp direction were manipulated to provide different sensory conditions and postural demands.
Compared with their typically developing peers, children with ASD had increased difficulties catching balls, especially those from lateral directions. They less often used visual information to plan for catching motion, demonstrated fewer and delayed anticipatory postural adjustments, and exhibited increased corrective control.
The sample excluded children with intellectual disability and attention deficit and hyperactivity disorders that might reduce the generalizability to the whole ASD population.
Our results suggest that motor difficulties present in children with ASD can result from compromised sensorimotor integration in planning and control of movements.
越来越多的证据表明，自闭症谱系障碍（ASD）患者存在常见的运动缺陷，这些缺陷可能与感觉运动系统的计划和控制过程受损有关。接球是一项基本的运动技能，需要视觉、姿势和手臂运动之间的协调。尽管已经表明 ASD 儿童的姿势控制和接球能力受损，但以前的研究并未调查这些组件是如何整合的。
本研究旨在调查 ASD 儿童和正常发育儿童在接球过程中手臂运动和姿势调整的感觉运动控制。
本研究采用了横断面设计。
15 名 ASD 儿童（平均[标准差]年龄=8.8[1.2]岁；12 名男孩）和 15 名年龄和性别匹配的正常发育儿童参加了这项研究。要求儿童在 6 种测试条件下接住从斜坡上滚下的球，在这些测试条件中，视觉输入和斜坡方向被操纵以提供不同的感觉条件和姿势需求。
与他们的正常发育同龄人相比，ASD 儿童接球难度更大，尤其是从侧面接球时。他们较少使用视觉信息来计划接球动作，表现出较少且延迟的预期姿势调整，并表现出更多的矫正控制。
该样本排除了智力残疾和注意力缺陷多动障碍的儿童，这可能会降低研究结果在整个 ASD 人群中的普遍性。
我们的研究结果表明，ASD 儿童存在的运动困难可能是由于在运动计划和控制方面感觉运动整合受损所致。
