Arm and Hand Movement in Children Suspected of Having Autism Spectrum Disorder

Abstract

The aim of this study was to describe arm and hand movement in children suspected of having autism spectrum disorder (ASD; age range 29–43 months). A videotaped retrospective review of five children with symptoms of ASD during Communication Temptation Tasks was completed at two time points (pre-testing and 6 weeks later). Categories of arm and hand movement were classified and examined. Findings revealed that mean proportional use of arm and hand movement types were generally stable between time points. Only 2 of 17 coded arm and hand movements significantly changed over the 6-week developmental period for appropriate actions on objects and the “give” meaningful communicative act. Appropriate actions on objects were represented at the highest proportion at each time point. Aided augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) was inconsistently used. The findings support the need to examine motor and language co-developments in children suspected of having ASD to inform clinical practice.