Motor imitation abilities and neurological signs in autistic children.
Autistic children were compared with chronological and mental age-matched normal children on two tests of motor imitation and on the Herzig Battery for Non-Focal Neurological Signs. The results indicated that autistic children have significant handicaps in the neurodevelopmental area, with very poor performance on motor imitation tasks and a universal and significant excess of soft signs of neurological dysfunction. Such "dyspraxias" may underlie the failure of these children to learn to use gesture.
D001321:Autistic Disorder / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000523:psychology*; D001921:Brain / Q000503:physiopathology; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D005868:Gestures; D006801:Humans; D007100:Imitative Behavior; D008297:Male; D009048:Motor Skills; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests