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Abstract:
Abstract: Motor impairment has frequently been described in
Asperger syndrome (AS), a pervasive developmental disorder of
childhood in the autistic spectrum. Previous research focusing on
the motor dysfunction has yielded inconsistent results, and the
"clumsiness" observed clinically, remains poorly defined. Specific
goals: To clarify the issue of motor impairment, we compared a
group of ten males with AS to a control group with no neurological
impairment. Subjects were matched on age, sex, socioeconomic status
and verbal IQ. Methods: A broad battery of motoric tests was
administered. Results: Subjects with AS were found to perform more
poorly than controls on tests of apraxia, one-leg balance with eyes
closed, tandem gait, and repetitive finger-thumb apposition. No
significant differences between groups were found on tests of
finger tapping, grooved pegboard, trail making, or visual-motor
integration. Conclusion: The pattern of deficits suggests that a
proprioceptive deficit may underlie the in-coordination observed in
AS, and that these individuals may be overly reliant on visual
input to maintain balance and position in space
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