Community-based postural control assessment in autistic individuals indicates a similar but delayed trajectory compared to neurotypical individuals.
Nicholas E Fears, Gabriela M C Sherrod, Tylan N Templin and 3 others
PMID 36627838WHAT IT FOUND
Autistic children and adolescents showed similar but delayed postural control development compared to neurotypical peers.
They had greater sway variability and used less efficient movement strategies. This indicates persistent motor differences that do not resolve with age.
Key findings
01Autistic participants showed greater sway variability than neurotypical participants across all visual conditions, indicating lower static postural stability.
02Autistic participants used significantly more time and less efficient movement paths during dynamic postural control tasks compared to neurotypical participants.
03While both groups improved with age, autistic individuals consistently lagged behind neurotypical peers by approximately 4 years in postural control development.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTsWhat it means for OTs
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What it does not show
The study did not independently confirm autism diagnoses, relying on community or educational reports. The sample included only children, adolescents, and young adults, so findings may not apply to older adults. The cross-sectional design limits conclusions about individual developmental trajectories. Only firm surface conditions were tested, excluding compliant surface challenges that might reveal different sensory reweighting deficits.
Declared interests
The authors declared no conflicts of interest. The study was supported by NIH and US Government grants.
The easy way to misread this
Do not assume that postural control differences in autism are due to an over-reliance on vision. The study found that sensory reweighting deficits were not specific to visual conditions; autistic individuals showed greater sway variability and inefficiency across all visual states, indicating a general postural control delay rather than a specific visual processing issue.