Motor Memory Deficits Contribute to Motor Impairments in Autism Spectrum Disorder.
Kristina A Neely, Suman Mohanty, Lauren M Schmitt and 3 others
PMID 27155985WHAT IT FOUND
When visual feedback was removed, people with autism spectrum disorder produced less pinch force than controls, especially in the last 6 seconds.
With visual feedback, the groups did not differ.
Key findings
01When visual feedback was available, force accuracy did not differ between the autism spectrum disorder and control groups.
02When visual feedback was removed, participants with autism spectrum disorder produced less force than controls for the last 6 seconds.
03Without visual feedback, the rate at which force fell over time was greater in participants with autism spectrum disorder than in controls.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for OTs
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What it does not show
The study included only 37 right-handed participants, and most were male, so it may not generalise to left-handed or female people with autism spectrum disorder. The autism spectrum disorder and control groups differed in verbal and full-scale IQ, so associations with force may reflect broader ability differences rather than motor performance alone. The study measured a laboratory pinch task, not a treatment outcome. Visual feedback was removed for only 12 seconds, so the study does not describe what happens over longer tasks.
The easy way to misread this
Do not treat this as evidence that motor memory training will help people with autism spectrum disorder. The study did not test any treatment, and it only showed a difference in maintaining pinch force when visual feedback was removed.