Movement in Infants with Autism Spectrum Disorder: The Analysis of Motor Milestones in Infancy

Background: Early identification of children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) has recognized as a critical aspect of their medical management and treatment. Movement disorders are considered one of the first signs which probably precede social or linguistic abnormalities.

Objectives: Our study aims to verify, through observational methods, the possibility of distinguishing infants with ASD from infants with typical development (TD) or with developmental delay (DD) by movement.

Methods: the Eshkol-Wachman Movement Analysis System which analyses static and dynamical symmetry during lying, sitting, standing and walking was applied to 161 retrospective home videos of children (ASD=58; TD=58; DD=45) during the first two years of life.

Results: data shows significant differences between ASD and the two control groups (p<.05). Our data also highlight differences within ASD group, revealing two types of ASD infants characterised by high or low levels of symmetry.

Conclusions: movement disorders can be considered as a possible sign in early diagnosis of ASD. We suggest that different pattern of motor functioning probably relate to different pathways to ASD. We hypothesise that the low levels of symmetry since the first months of life could be related to the loss of the Purkinje cells described in ASD.