Neuromusculoskeletal and movement-related functions
Postural control is reported as a challenge for some autistic children which is what type of movement-related function
What are involuntary movement reactions?
Autistic children have difficulty initiating and maintaining conversations.
What is Approaches/Starts?
Without visual cues, autistic children show increased postural sway and have trouble staying upright. This is the sensory function: “sensation related to position, balance, and secure movement against gravity.”
What are vestibular functions?
Research has shown that specific executive functioning skills, including forward planning, cognitive flexibility, and use of assistive strategies (mnemonics) are impacted in this population
What is higher level cognitive?
Children within this population may have reduced ankle mobility or may toe-walk, which can impact functional mobility and balance
What is walks?
Using the Gait Real-Time Analysis Interactive Lab, researchers found autistic children’s gait cycle was this longer or shorter, with lower speed and step length.
What is gait patterns?
Echolalia, the repetition of words or phrases, matches this social skill, which means not showing irrelevant, repetitive, or impulsive behaviors.
What is regulates?
Hyper- or hypo-sensitivity to this sense can impact grooming, oral healthcare, hair brushing, and nail trimming.
What is touch?
Autistic children have unique patterns of this specific mental function - including disorganization & reliance on stereotypes rules regardless of task complexity, intense preoccupation for preferred & self-initiated activities, & inability to inhibit distraction.
What is attention?
Hypotonia and motor apraxia can make the motor skill, defined as using two or more body parts together to manipulate and hold objects without fumbling, difficult.
What is coordinates?
True or False: Children have difficulties controlling voluntary movement which includes coordinating movements with both sides of the body and between the UEs and LEs.
True
Talking at length about a specific topic while unaware of another’s interest matches this social skill, which means speaking in turn and giving the partner the freedom to take theirs.
What is takes turns?
Autistic children rely on these types of cues to maintain stability. Without, there is increased postural sway and difficulty maintaining upright positioning
What are visual cues?
Autistic children change this type of mental function without an apparent reason
What is emotion?
Muthusamy et al. (2021) identified these two motor deficits in autistic children.
What are hypotonia and motor apraxia?