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Browsing Student Centres and Services by Subject "Autism"

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    Motor Performance of Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders
    (University of Regina Graduate Students' Association, 2011-04-01) Zimmer, Chantelle; Staples, Kerri
    The purpose of this study is to illustrate that children with ASD experience greater difficulty in fundamental movement skills compared to their peers without ASD. Young children with ASD demonstrate delays in attainment of motor milestones and differences in quality of movement patterns compared to peers without ASD (Staples & Reid, 2010). Over time, these developmental differences result in greater discrepancies of overall motor development and specific movement skills (Baranek, 2002). Fundamental movement skills are the locomotor and object control skills that emerge following the ability to walk. Movement skills consist of goal-directed movements such as throwing a ball, which can be described by the movement pattern used (e.g., over- or under-hand). Mastery of fundamental skills is essential by 10 years of age since they are assumed to be the basis of more advanced, or sport-specific skills (Burton & Miller, 1998). Six children, aged 6 to 9 years, with ASD (based on DSM-IV criteria) performed the Test of Gross Motor Development 2 (TGMD-2), a standardized test that emphasizes components of locomotor and object control skills (Ulrich, 2000). Performance on the TGMD-2 was compared against existing normative data for movement skill performance of typically developing children on the basis of raw scores. Implications for future research include the investigation of strengths and weaknesses for locomotor and object control skills in children with ASD, in addition to sex differences in terms of motor performance.