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Nies KJ, Baldwin J, Kaur M. Early Motor Delays During the First 2 Years of Life in Autism Spectrum Disorder: A Scoping Review. Pediatr Phys Ther 2024; 36:19-35. [PMID: 37816166 DOI: 10.1097/pep.0000000000001068] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/12/2023]
Abstract
PURPOSE To summarize and appraise the emerging evidence on early motor skills of infants later diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), and the association of early motor delays to later ASD diagnosis/characteristics. METHODS A literature search was conducted for studies published from 2000 to 2023 on the motor skills of infants later diagnosed with ASD, followed by screening and data extraction. RESULTS Current evidence suggested presence of early motor deficits including poor anticipatory movements, postural control, and gross/fine motor skills during the first 2 years of ASD. However, there was variability among studies with regard to study sample and methodology. CONCLUSION Although motor deficits are evident in infants, it is unclear whether these are specific to ASD or a consequence of general developmental disorder. Future research is needed on the investigation of specificity and severity of early motor delays, which can potentially assist in early identification of ASD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kara J Nies
- Physical Therapy Department (Dr Nies), Cambridge Public Schools, Cambridge, Massachusetts; Physical Therapy Program (Drs Baldwin and Kaur), MGH Institute of Health Professions, Charlestown, Massachusetts
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Ciceri T, Malerba G, Gatti A, Diella E, Peruzzo D, Biffi E, Casartelli L. Context expectation influences the gait pattern biomechanics. Sci Rep 2023; 13:5644. [PMID: 37024572 PMCID: PMC10079826 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-32665-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/05/2022] [Accepted: 03/30/2023] [Indexed: 04/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Beyond classical aspects related to locomotion (biomechanics), it has been hypothesized that walking pattern is influenced by a combination of distinct computations including online sensory/perceptual sampling and the processing of expectations (neuromechanics). Here, we aimed to explore the potential impact of contrasting scenarios ("risky and potentially dangerous" scenario; "safe and comfortable" scenario) on walking pattern in a group of healthy young adults. Firstly, and consistently with previous literature, we confirmed that the scenario influences gait pattern when it is recalled concurrently to participants' walking activity (motor interference). More intriguingly, our main result showed that participants' gait pattern is also influenced by the contextual scenario when it is evoked only before the start of walking activity (motor expectation). This condition was designed to test the impact of expectations (risky scenario vs. safe scenario) on gait pattern, and the stimulation that preceded walking activity served as prior. Noteworthy, we combined statistical and machine learning (Support-Vector Machine classifier) approaches to stratify distinct levels of analyses that explored the multi-facets architecture of walking. In a nutshell, our combined statistical and machine learning analyses converge in suggesting that walking before steps is not just a paradox.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tommaso Ciceri
- Department of Information Engineering, University of Padova, Padua, PD, Italy
- Neuroimaging Lab, Scientific Institute IRCCS E. Medea, Bosisio Parini, LC, Italy
| | - Giorgia Malerba
- Bioengineering Lab, Scientific Institute IRCCS E. Medea, Bosisio Parini, LC, Italy
| | - Alice Gatti
- Department of Electronics, Information and Bioengineering, Politecnico di Milano, Milan, MI, Italy
| | - Eleonora Diella
- Bioengineering Lab, Scientific Institute IRCCS E. Medea, Bosisio Parini, LC, Italy
| | - Denis Peruzzo
- Neuroimaging Lab, Scientific Institute IRCCS E. Medea, Bosisio Parini, LC, Italy
| | - Emilia Biffi
- Bioengineering Lab, Scientific Institute IRCCS E. Medea, Bosisio Parini, LC, Italy.
| | - Luca Casartelli
- Theoretical and Cognitive Neuroscience Unit, Scientific Institute IRCCS E. Medea, Bosisio Parini, LC, Italy
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Ayesa-Arriola R, Castro Quintas Á, Ortiz-García de la Foz V, Miguel Corredera M, San Martín González N, Murillo-García N, Neergaard K, Fañanás Saura L, de las Cuevas-Terán I. Exploring the impact of COVID-19 on newborn neurodevelopment: a pilot study. Sci Rep 2023; 13:2983. [PMID: 36805488 PMCID: PMC9941470 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-29680-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/12/2022] [Accepted: 02/08/2023] [Indexed: 02/22/2023] Open
Abstract
The COVID-19 pandemic can seize the opportunity to explore the hypothesis of prenatal exposure to viral infections increases the risk for neurodevelopmental disorders. Advancing our knowledge in this regard would improve primary prevention of mental disorders in children. For this pilot study, six-week-old infants born to mothers exposed (n = 21) or unexposed (n = 21) to severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) were assessed in Santander-Cantabria (Spain) using the Neonatal Behavioral Assessment Scale (NBAS). Groups comparisons were performed to explore the effects that infection and timing of exposure (in terms of the three trimesters of pregnancy). The infants' competencies and performances on the NBAS were generally similar in the exposed and unexposed to SARS-CoV-2 groups. The most significant difference found was a less optimally response to cuddliness (item on the state regulation domain) particularly in infants born to mothers exposed in the third trimester of pregnancy, and in pull-to-sit (item on the motor system domain). Although our interpretations must be careful, these preliminary results highlight the possible association between prenatal SARS-CoV-2 exposure and poorer development in motor skills and infant interactive behavior. Further longitudinal studies are needed to explore these relationships and disentangle the biological mechanisms implicated.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rosa Ayesa-Arriola
- University of Cantabria, Santander, Spain. .,Centro Investigación Biomédica en Red de Salud Mental (CIBERSAM), Madrid, Spain. .,Mental Illnesses Research Unit, Marqués de Valdecilla Research Institute, IDIVAL, Santander, Spain.
| | - Águeda Castro Quintas
- grid.5841.80000 0004 1937 0247Department of Evolutionary Biology, Ecology and Environmental Sciences (BEECA), Faculty of Biology, University of Barcelona, Institute of Biomedicine of the University of Barcelona (IBUB), Barcelona, Spain ,grid.469673.90000 0004 5901 7501Centro Investigación Biomédica en Red de Salud Mental (CIBERSAM), Madrid, Spain
| | - Víctor Ortiz-García de la Foz
- grid.469673.90000 0004 5901 7501Centro Investigación Biomédica en Red de Salud Mental (CIBERSAM), Madrid, Spain ,grid.484299.a0000 0004 9288 8771Mental Illnesses Research Unit, Marqués de Valdecilla Research Institute, IDIVAL, Santander, Spain
| | - Margarita Miguel Corredera
- grid.484299.a0000 0004 9288 8771Mental Illnesses Research Unit, Marqués de Valdecilla Research Institute, IDIVAL, Santander, Spain
| | - Nerea San Martín González
- grid.5841.80000 0004 1937 0247Department of Evolutionary Biology, Ecology and Environmental Sciences (BEECA), Faculty of Biology, University of Barcelona, Institute of Biomedicine of the University of Barcelona (IBUB), Barcelona, Spain
| | - Nancy Murillo-García
- grid.7821.c0000 0004 1770 272XUniversity of Cantabria, Santander, Spain ,grid.484299.a0000 0004 9288 8771Mental Illnesses Research Unit, Marqués de Valdecilla Research Institute, IDIVAL, Santander, Spain
| | - Karl Neergaard
- grid.484299.a0000 0004 9288 8771Mental Illnesses Research Unit, Marqués de Valdecilla Research Institute, IDIVAL, Santander, Spain
| | - Lourdes Fañanás Saura
- grid.5841.80000 0004 1937 0247Department of Evolutionary Biology, Ecology and Environmental Sciences (BEECA), Faculty of Biology, University of Barcelona, Institute of Biomedicine of the University of Barcelona (IBUB), Barcelona, Spain ,grid.469673.90000 0004 5901 7501Centro Investigación Biomédica en Red de Salud Mental (CIBERSAM), Madrid, Spain
| | - Isabel de las Cuevas-Terán
- grid.7821.c0000 0004 1770 272XUniversity of Cantabria, Santander, Spain ,grid.411325.00000 0001 0627 4262Neonatal Unit, Pediatric Service, University Hospital Marqués de Valdecilla, Santander, Spain
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Posar A, Visconti P. Early Motor Signs in Autism Spectrum Disorder. CHILDREN (BASEL, SWITZERLAND) 2022; 9:children9020294. [PMID: 35205014 PMCID: PMC8870370 DOI: 10.3390/children9020294] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/14/2021] [Revised: 02/08/2022] [Accepted: 02/17/2022] [Indexed: 12/02/2022]
Abstract
A growing number of literature data suggest the presence of early impairments in the motor development of children with autism spectrum disorder, which could be often recognized even before the appearance of the classical social communication deficits of autism. In this narrative review, we aimed at performing an update about the available data on the early motor function in children with autism spectrum disorder. Early motor impairment in these children can manifest itself both as a mere delay of motor development and as the presence of atypicalities of motor function, such as a higher rate and a larger inventory, of stereotyped movements both with and without objects. In the perspective of a timely diagnosis, the presence of early motor signs can be an important clue, especially in an individual considered at high risk for autism. Motor and communication (both verbal and non-verbal) skills are connected and a pathogenetic role of early motor dysfunctions in the development of autism can be hypothesized. From this, derives the importance of an early enabling intervention aimed at improving motor skills, which could also have favorable effects on other aspects of development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Annio Posar
- IRCCS Istituto delle Scienze Neurologiche di Bologna, UOSI Disturbi dello Spettro Autistico, 40139 Bologna, Italy;
- Dipartimento di Scienze Biomediche e Neuromotorie, Università di Bologna, 40126 Bologna, Italy
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +39-051-6225111
| | - Paola Visconti
- IRCCS Istituto delle Scienze Neurologiche di Bologna, UOSI Disturbi dello Spettro Autistico, 40139 Bologna, Italy;
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Ward EK, Buitelaar JK, Hunnius S. Implicit learning in 3-year-olds with high and low likelihood of autism shows no evidence of precision weighting differences. Dev Sci 2021; 25:e13158. [PMID: 34251731 PMCID: PMC9286672 DOI: 10.1111/desc.13158] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/08/2020] [Revised: 06/24/2021] [Accepted: 07/01/2021] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Abstract
Predictive Processing accounts of autism claim that autistic individuals assign higher precision to their prediction errors than non-autistic individuals, that is, autistic individuals update their predictions more readily when faced with unexpected sensory input. Since setting the level of precision is a fundamental part of perception and learning, we propose that such differences should be detectable in various domains at a very early age, before clinical symptoms have fully emerged. We therefore tested 3-year-old younger siblings of autistic children, with a high likelihood of later receiving an autism diagnosis themselves, and low-likelihood children with an older sibling without autism. We used a novel implicit learning paradigm to examine the effect of sensory noise on the predictions participants built. In order to learn a sequence, our participants had to select which visual information to attend to and disregard low-level prediction errors caused by the sensory noise, which the theory claims is more difficult for autistic individuals. Contrary to the proposed higher precision-weighting of prediction errors in autism, the high-likelihood children did not show signs of updating their predictions more readily when we added sensory noise compared to the low-likelihood children, either in their reaction times or in the recurrence and determinism of their response locations. These results raise challenges for Predictive Processing theories of autism, specifically for the notion that prediction errors are inflexibly highly weighted by individuals with autism.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emma K Ward
- Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behavior, Radboud University, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
| | - Jan K Buitelaar
- Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behavior, Radboud University, Nijmegen, The Netherlands.,Radboud University Medical Centre, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
| | - Sabine Hunnius
- Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behavior, Radboud University, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
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Achermann S, Falck-Ytter T, Bölte S, Nyström P. Updating Expectations About Unexpected Object Motion in Infants Later Diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder. J Autism Dev Disord 2021; 51:4186-4198. [PMID: 33517525 PMCID: PMC8510946 DOI: 10.1007/s10803-021-04876-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 01/05/2021] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
In typical development, infants form predictions about future events based on incoming sensory information, which is essential for perception and goal-directed action. It has been suggested that individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) make predictions differently compared to neurotypical individuals. We investigated how infants who later received an ASD diagnosis and neurotypical infants react to temporarily occluded moving objects that violate initial expectations about object motion. Our results indicate that infants regardless of clinical outcome react similarly to unexpected object motion patterns, both in terms of gaze shift latencies and pupillary responses. These findings indicate that the ability to update representations about such regularities in light of new information may not differ between typically developing infants and those with later ASD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sheila Achermann
- Development and Neurodiversity Lab, Department of Psychology, Uppsala University, Box 1225, 75142, Uppsala, Sweden.
| | - Terje Falck-Ytter
- Development and Neurodiversity Lab, Department of Psychology, Uppsala University, Box 1225, 75142, Uppsala, Sweden.,Center of Neurodevelopmental Disorders (KIND), Centre for Psychiatry Research, Department of Women's and Children's Health, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden.,Swedish Collegium for Advanced Study (SCAS), Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Sven Bölte
- Center of Neurodevelopmental Disorders (KIND), Centre for Psychiatry Research, Department of Women's and Children's Health, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden.,Curtin Autism Research Group, School of Occupational Therapy, Social Work and Speech Pathology, Curtin University, Perth, WA, USA
| | - Pär Nyström
- Development and Neurodiversity Lab, Department of Psychology, Uppsala University, Box 1225, 75142, Uppsala, Sweden
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Casartelli L, Cesareo A, Biffi E, Campione GC, Villa L, Molteni M, Sinigaglia C. Vitality form expression in autism. Sci Rep 2020; 10:17182. [PMID: 33057003 PMCID: PMC7560849 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-020-73364-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/05/2020] [Accepted: 09/03/2020] [Indexed: 12/27/2022] Open
Abstract
The notion of "vitality form" has been coined by Daniel Stern to describe the basic features of action, which may reflect the mood or affective state of an agent. There is general consensus that vitality forms substantiate social interactions in children as well in adults. Previous studies have explored children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD)'s ability in copying and recognizing the vitality forms of actions performed by others. In this paper we investigated, for the first time, how children with ASD express different vitality forms when acting themselves. We recorded the kinematics of ASD and typically developing (TD) children while performing three different types of action with two different vitality forms. There were two conditions. In the what condition we contrasted the three different types of action performed with a same vitality form, while in the how condition we contrasted the same type of action performed with two different vitality forms. The results showed a clear difference between ASD children and TD children in the how, but not in the what, condition. Indeed, while TD children distinguished the vitality forms to be expressed by mostly varying a specific spatiotemporal parameter (i.e. movement time), no significant variation in this parameter was found in ASD children. As they are not prone to express vitality forms as neurotypical individuals do, individuals with ASD's interactions with neurotypical peers could therefore be difficult to achieve successfully, with cascading effects on their propensity to be tuned to their surrounding social world, or so we conjecture. If this conjecture would turn out to be correct, our findings could have promising implication for theoretical and clinical research in the context of ASD.
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Affiliation(s)
- L Casartelli
- Scientific Institute IRCCS E.MEDEA, Child Psychopathology Department, Theoretical and Cognitive Neuroscience Unit, Bosisio Parini Lecco, Italy
| | - A Cesareo
- Scientific Institute IRCCS E.MEDEA, Bioengineering Lab, Bosisio Parini Lecco, Italy
| | - E Biffi
- Scientific Institute IRCCS E.MEDEA, Bioengineering Lab, Bosisio Parini Lecco, Italy
| | - G C Campione
- Scientific Institute IRCCS E.MEDEA, Child Psychopathology Department, Bosisio Parini Lecco, Italy
| | - L Villa
- Scientific Institute IRCCS E.MEDEA, Child Psychopathology Department, Bosisio Parini Lecco, Italy
| | - M Molteni
- Scientific Institute IRCCS E.MEDEA, Child Psychopathology Department, Bosisio Parini Lecco, Italy
| | - C Sinigaglia
- Università Degli Studi Di Milano, Department of Philosophy, Via Festa del Perdono 7, 20122, Milano, Italy.
- Cognition in Action (CIA) Unit, PHILAB, 20122, Milan, Italy.
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Early Motor Development Predicts Clinical Outcomes of Siblings at High-Risk for Autism: Insight from an Innovative Motion-Tracking Technology. Brain Sci 2020; 10:brainsci10060379. [PMID: 32560198 PMCID: PMC7349903 DOI: 10.3390/brainsci10060379] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/25/2020] [Revised: 06/12/2020] [Accepted: 06/12/2020] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Atypical motor patterns are potential early markers and predictors of later diagnosis of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). This study aimed to investigate the early motor trajectories of infants at high-risk (HR) of ASD through MOVIDEA, a semi-automatic software developed to analyze 2D and 3D videos and provide objective kinematic features of their movements. MOVIDEA was developed within the Italian Network for early detection of Autism Spectrum Disorder (NIDA Network), which is currently coordinating the most extensive surveillance program for infants at risk for neurodevelopmental disorders (NDDs). MOVIDEA was applied to video recordings of 53 low-risk (LR; siblings of typically developing children) and 50 HR infants’ spontaneous movements collected at 10 days and 6, 12, 18, and 24 weeks. Participants were grouped based on their clinical outcome (18 HR received an NDD diagnosis, 32 HR and 53 LR were typically developing). Results revealed that early developmental trajectories of specific motor parameters were different in HR infants later diagnosed with NDDs from those of infants developing typically. Since MOVIDEA was useful in the association of quantitative measures with specific early motor patterns, it should be applied to the early detection of ASD/NDD markers.
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