Abnormal perceptual-motor coordination is hypothesized here to be involved in social deficits of autism spectrum disorder (ASD). To test this hypothesis, high functioning children with ASD and typical controls, similar in age as well as verbal and perceptive performance, performed perceptual-motor coordination tasks and several social competence…

Subjects with autism (n=36) were assigned a simple "reach, grasp, and place" task. Comparison with nonautistic children who had mental retardation and younger normally developing children found that the autistic subjects had problems in executing goal-directed motor acts even in very simple situations, suggesting an independent and marked…

Although probably a heterogeneous condition, autism includes a class of individuals who also have neurological impediments manifested as disturbances of movement, balance, posture, and gait. Neuromotor and neurobehavioral assessments are reviewed to improve the classification of the impairment and to facilitate the utilization of therapies…

Down's syndrome adolescents were compared with age- and I.Q.-matched non-Down's syndrome retardates on a two-point finger tapping task. Results supported the hypothesis that Down's syndrome retardates show a deficit in developing and utilizing preprogramed motor sequences. (CM)