Oromotor skills in autism spectrum disorder: A scoping review.
Marc F Maffei, Karen V Chenausky, Simone V Gill and 2 others
PMID 37010327WHAT IT FOUND
Most studies find oromotor deficits in autism, but results are inconsistent and methods vary widely.
Clinicians should not assume speech is spared; however, current evidence is too heterogeneous to define specific deficits or guide treatment reliably.
Key findings
01A majority of included studies reported oromotor abnormalities, with 85% of perceptual studies and 81% of instrumental studies finding deficits.
02Findings were inconsistent across specific features; for example, studies on speech rate reported normal, slow, or variable rates, and nonspeech oral motor results varied between impaired and typical performance.
03Oromotor skills showed positive associations with expressive and receptive language abilities in a subset of studies, suggesting potential predictive value.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for SLPs
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What it does not show
Extreme heterogeneity in study designs, participant ages, IQ levels, and language abilities makes it difficult to draw general conclusions. Many studies had small sample sizes (17% had fewer than 10 participants), limiting statistical power. Assessment methods varied widely, with only 48% using standardized tools, and many relying on perceptual judgments which are subjective and may miss subtle deficits. The review excluded studies with comorbid conditions, which may not reflect the reality of many autistic clients who have overlapping diagnoses. Most studies were cross-sectional, so it is unclear how oromotor skills change over time or predict long-term outcomes.
Declared interests
The authors declared no conflicts of interest. The study was supported by NIH grants.
The easy way to misread this
Do not interpret the high percentage of studies reporting deficits as evidence that all autistic individuals have oromotor impairments. The review highlights significant inconsistency in findings and methods, meaning current evidence does not support a specific oromotor profile for ASD, nor does it prove that motor deficits cause language difficulties.