title: Variability of stereotypic body-rocking in adults with mental retardation.
abstract: The variability of stereotypic body-rocking motions of adults with severe and profound mental retardation not on medication was examined through a kinematic analysis. A matched nonretarded group of adults was also examined in the production of preferred rates of body-rocking. The inter- and intra-individual variability of the body-rocking motions was, on average, higher for the individuals with mental retardation, although a few participants showed as low a variability as the least variable participants in the nonretarded group. These findings provide further evidence that the kinematic variability of stereotypies is not lower than that displayed by others engaged in similar movement activities and support the proposition that low variability of discrete kinematic variables may not be a defining feature of stereotypy.
authors.affiliation: Pennsylvania State University, USA. kmn1@psu.edu
authors.forename: K M
authors.initials: KM
authors.lastname: Newell
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Incledon
authors.forename: J W
authors.initials: JW
authors.lastname: Bodfish
authors.forename: R L
authors.initials: RL
authors.lastname: Sprague
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008607:Intellectual Disability / Q000503:physiopathology* / Q000523:psychology; D007596:Joints / Q000502:physiology; D008297:Male; D009043:Motor Activity / Q000502:physiology; D010507:Periodicity; D019956:Stereotypic Movement Disorder / Q000503:physiopathology*; D013997:Time Factors; D013996:Time and Motion Studies