The reach-to-grasp movement in infants later diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder: a high-risk sibling cohort study

BACKGROUND: Although autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is characterized by impairments in social communication and the presence of repetitive behavior and/or restricted interests, there is evidence that motor impairments may be a contributing factor to the ASD phenotype. The purpose of this study was to examine the motor act of reaching-to-grasp in children at high risk (HR; with an older sibling diagnosed with ASD) and low-risk (LR; no family history of ASD) for ASD. METHODS: Children were compared for differences in reaching-to-grasp based on sibling status and diagnostic outcome. Children were enrolled between 6 and 12 months of age and the reach-to-grasp movement was scored at 6, 9, (where available) 12, 15, 18, 24, and 36 months of age using the qualitative Skilled Reaching Rating Scale to determine the presence of any group-, age-, or sex-related differences in the mechanics of the reach-to-grasp movement using a Mixed Models analysis. At 36 months, all children underwent a gold-standard diagnostic assessment, which resulted in three outcome groups: HR children diagnosed with ASD (HR-ASD; n = 10), HR children not diagnosed with ASD (HR-N; n = 10), and low-risk children not diagnosed with ASD (LR; n = 10). RESULTS: The group of children who were later diagnosed with ASD (HR-ASD group) showed higher (worse) total scores on the reach-to-grasp movement, as well as higher scores on the components of Orient, Lift, and Pronate compared to children in the LR and HR-N groups. CONCLUSIONS: Our results support the growing literature indicating that children who are later diagnosed with ASD show impaired early motor performance. These results highlight the importance of early surveillance of children who are at elevated risk for ASD, and early initiatives should focus on early signs of the phenotype, including both movement and sensory differences (prodromal signs) prior to the emergence of diagnostic characteristics. ELECTRONIC SUPPLEMENTARY MATERIAL: The online version of this article (10.1186/s11689-018-9259-4) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.