Hannover Medical School, Department of Psychiatry, Social Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Carl-Neuberg-Str. 1, 30625, Hannover, Germany.
Oberberg Fachklinik Weserbergland, Brede 29, 32699, Extertal-Laßbruch, Germany.
Sci Rep. 2024 Jul 12;14(1):16123. doi: 10.1038/s41598-024-66723-5.
Neurological soft signs (NSS), discrete deficits in motor coordination and sensory integration, have shown promise as markers in autism diagnosis. While motor impairments, partly associated with core behavioral features, are frequently found in children with autism, there is limited evidence in adults. In this study, NSS were assessed in adults undergoing initial diagnosis of high-functioning autism (HFA), a subgroup difficult to diagnose due to social adaptation and psychiatric comorbidity. Adults with HFA (n = 34) and 1:1 sex-, age-, and intelligence-matched neurotypical controls were administered a structured NSS examination including motor, sensory, and visuospatial tasks. We showed that adults with HFA have significantly increased motor coordination deficits compared with controls. Using hierarchical cluster analysis within the HFA group, we also identified a subgroup that was particularly highly affected by NSS. This subgroup differed from the less affected by intelligence level, but not severity of autism behavioral features nor global psychological distress. It remains questionable whether motor impairment represents a genuinely autistic trait or is more a consequence of factors such as intelligence. Nevertheless, we conclude that examining NSS in terms of motor coordination may help diagnose adults with HFA and identify HFA individuals who might benefit from motor skills interventions.
神经学软体征（NSS）是运动协调和感觉综合方面的离散缺陷，已显示出作为自闭症诊断标志物的潜力。虽然运动障碍与自闭症儿童的核心行为特征部分相关，但在成年自闭症患者中证据有限。在这项研究中，对正在接受高功能自闭症（HFA）初始诊断的成年人进行了 NSS 评估，由于社交适应和精神共病，这是一个难以诊断的亚组。对 34 名 HFA 成年人和 1:1 性别、年龄和智力匹配的神经典型对照组进行了结构化 NSS 检查，包括运动、感觉和视空间任务。我们发现，与对照组相比，HFA 成年人的运动协调缺陷明显增加。在 HFA 组内使用分层聚类分析，我们还确定了一个 NSS 特别受影响的亚组。这个亚组与受智力水平影响较小的亚组不同，但与自闭症行为特征的严重程度或整体心理困扰无关。运动障碍是否代表真正的自闭症特征，还是更多地是智力等因素的结果，仍存在疑问。然而，我们得出结论，检查运动协调方面的 NSS 可能有助于诊断 HFA 成年人，并确定可能受益于运动技能干预的 HFA 个体。
