Children at risk of autism display poorer movement

Scientists have determined that children at risk of autism display poorer movement as early as seven months old.

In a study published by the British Psychological Society (BPS), a team led by Dr Elisabeth Hill at Goldsmiths at University of London and Dr Hayley Leonard, followed infants deemed at risk of developing autism due to having an older sibling diagnosed with Autistic Spectrum Disorder (ASD).

The team assessed 54 infants deemed high risk and 50 considered to be low risk at seven, 14 and 24 months on a range of standardised measures of motor skills.

Analysis by the scientists found that the at-risk group had significantly poorer motor skills than the control group from seven months.

Both gross motor skills, such as rolling over and walking, as well as fine motor skills such as grasping were impacted.

"These data are extremely important because even if the at-risk infants do not go on to be diagnosed with ASD, research suggests that poorer motor development could have a negative impact on their language, social and cognitive development over time," explained Dr Leonard.