Evidence for Specificity of Visuomotor Sequencing Deficits and Relation to Cognitive Outcomes in Autism and Williams Syndrome

Background: Although social communicative impairments are defining characteristics of children with ASD, delayed or atypical motor learning has been consistently documented. The extent to which motor learning difficulties are specific to ASD in terms of their association with cognitive outcomes is as yet unexplored. Cross-disorder comparisons between young children with ASD and Williams syndrome (WS) provide a unique opportunity to examine specificity of motor learning deficits in disorders with divergent social and cognitive abilities. 

Objectives: Here we compare the spontaneous engagement of goal-directed actions on objects and visuomotor sequence learning in young children with ASD when compared to a matched sample of children with WS. Specifically, we aimed to identify whether deficits in goal-directed actions and visuomotor sequencing are specific to children with ASD, and explore interrelationships with cognitive and adaptive outcomes.

Methods: Using novel experimental behavioral tasks that were video-recorded, we explored both spontaneous propensity to engage with objects in a goal-directed way and ability to learn a novel visuomotor sequence in preschoolers with ASD and WS during manipulation of the following factors: 1) different objects and toys that afforded opportunities for goal-directed versus purposeless actions, 2) trial and error learning during a specific sequence to retrieve a toy with efficiency of action sequence measured across trials, and (3 generalization of the action sequence to a different context. 

Results: Preliminary findings suggest that children with ASD show specific difficulties in goal-directed object use and detecting a sequence by trial and error. The impaired performances in organizing actions around goals and visuomotor sequence learning will be examined in relation to links with cognitive outcomes in response to early intensive behavioural intervention in ASD. 

Conclusions: These findings will improve our understanding of autism-specific patterns of motor and visuomotor sequence learning that contribute to cognitive and adaptive outcomes. A clearer understanding of both propensities and abilities in motor learning will inform early motor interventions that go beyond primary social communicative concerns in young children with ASD.