Motor and cognitive profiles in children who are 3 to 6 years old and have autism spectrum disorder and other developmental disabilities.

This study looked at how children with autism move and think, comparing those with autism alone to those with autism plus other conditions like intellectual disability or ADHD. Children with both autism and intellectual disability had the most movement difficulties. The research found that thinking skills and movement abilities are connected - children who were better at visual-spatial tasks, understanding language, or remembering information often had better movement skills. This suggests different types of autism may need different support approaches.

This retrospective cohort study examined motor and cognitive profiles in 1127 children aged 3-6 years across six diagnostic groups: ASD alone, intellectual disability, ADHD, ASD with intellectual disability, ASD with ADHD, and speech/language delay. Using standardized assessments, researchers found that children with ASD plus intellectual disability showed the most severe motor difficulties (89.6% affected). Cognitive abilities were significantly associated with motor skills across ASD groups, with visual-spatial ability predicting motor performance universally, while verbal comprehension and working memory predicted motor skills in specific subgroups. The findings suggest distinct motor-cognitive profiles exist within autism spectrum conditions, potentially reflecting different etiological subtypes and informing targeted intervention approaches.

Findings support comprehensive assessment of both motor and cognitive abilities in young children with ASD. The distinct profiles suggest personalized intervention approaches based on individual cognitive strengths and weaknesses. Visual-spatial training may benefit motor development across all groups, while targeted verbal or working memory interventions may help specific subgroups.

Secondary analysis of retrospective data limits causal inferences. Study setting limited to one Taiwanese clinic may affect generalizability. No information provided about intervention outcomes or longitudinal tracking of motor-cognitive relationships over time.

The debate on whether different motor and cognitive profiles of children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) reflect distinct patterns of comorbidities with significant implications continues in autism research. The aim of this study was to determine the motor and cognitive profiles of children with ASD alone as well as those with ASD and comorbid developmental disabilities. Additionally, it was assessed whether the cognitive abilities were linked to the motor performance of children with ASD. This study was a secondary analysis of a retrospective cohort.

The setting was a multidisciplinary outpatient clinic in Taiwan. Diagnostic groups included ASD (n = 263), intellectual disability (ID; n = 95), attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD; n = 222), ASD plus ID (ASD + ID; n = 77), ASD plus ADHD (ASD + ADHD; n = 74), and speech/language delay (SLD; n = 396). The Wechsler Preschool and Primary Scale of Intelligence-Fourth Edition and Movement Assessment Battery for Children-Second Edition were used to examine motor and cognitive profiles and their relationship in 1127 young children who were 36 to 77 months old. Children with ASD, ASD + ADHD, and SLD performed significantly better than those with ID and ASD + ID on the Wechsler Preschool and Primary Scale of Intelligence-Fourth Edition test for cognitive abilities.

The ASD + ID group exhibited the most pronounced motor deficits, with 89.6% of children experiencing difficulties. Significant associations were found between cognitive abilities and motor skills within the ASD, ASD + ID, and ASD + ADHD groups. Multiple regression revealed that visual-spatial ability predicted motor performance across all groups, while verbal comprehension was a significant predictor of motor performance in the ASD + ID, ID, and SLD groups. Working memory was an important predictor of motor performance in the ASD, ASD + ADHD, and SLD groups.

These findings highlight that children with ASD and comorbid developmental disabilities present unique motor and cognitive profiles. The relationship between specific cognitive domains and motor skills suggests that individual cognitive profiles may help identify distinct etiological subtypes of ASD and associated comorbidities and provide a cognitively informed basis for physical therapy decision-making in early childhood.