Gross Motor Development in Children With Autism: Longitudinal Trajectories From the Growing Up in New Zealand Study.
Paula Araya, Katrina Phillips, Karen Waldie and 1 others
PMID 39831412WHAT IT FOUND
Gross motor delays emerged between 9 and 24 months in children with autism, persisting to 54 months.
Children with parent-reported autism concerns had similar motor delays to those with formal diagnoses, suggesting motor issues are an early marker regardless of diagnosis status.
Key findings
01Children with an autism diagnosis had a significantly increased likelihood of gross motor delay between 9 and 24 months compared to children without autism (OR = 1.21, p = 0.003).
02There were no statistically significant differences in the probability of gross motor delay between children with an autism diagnosis and those with autism concerns at any time point.
03At 24 months, children with Māori or Pacific mothers were significantly less likely to have gross motor delay compared to those with European mothers, while prematurity and female sex increased the likelihood.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTsWhat it means for OTsWhat it means for SLPs
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What it does not show
Gross motor data was parent-reported rather than directly observed, which may overstate ability levels. There was no data collection between 9 and 24 months, so the exact timing of the trajectory change is unknown. The autism concerns group had a much smaller sample size than the diagnosis group, reducing statistical power to detect differences between these two subgroups. Groups were not matched for age, sex, birth history, or co-occurring disorders, though regression models adjusted for some covariates. Ethnicity findings (lower delay in Māori/Pacific children) must be interpreted with caution due to potential healthcare access inequities and cultural differences in reporting.
Declared interests
Karen Waldie and Lisa Underwood were part of the research team for the Growing Up in New Zealand study that collected the data. No other financial conflicts were declared. Funding was provided by the Royal Society of New Zealand Marsden Fund and the University of Auckland.
The easy way to misread this
Do not assume that children with autism concerns have milder motor deficits than those with a formal diagnosis. The study found no significant difference in the probability of gross motor delay between these two groups at any time point, suggesting motor issues are a shared feature of the autism phenotype regardless of diagnostic status.