title: Motor signs distinguish children with high functioning autism and Asperger's syndrome from controls.
abstract: While many studies of motor control in autism have focused on specific motor signs, there has been a lack of research examining the complete range of subtle neuromotor signs. This study compared performance on a neurologic examination standardized for children (PANESS, Physical and Neurological Exam for Subtle Signs, Denckla [1974 Developmental Medicine and Child Neurology, 16(6), 729-741]) between a group of 40 boys aged 6-17 with autism and average range IQs and a group of 55 typically developing boys. The Autism group was shown to have significant impairment on several measures of motor control compared to the Control group. Regression analyses revealed that a model including four PANESS variables offered a high level of discrimination in distinguishing boys with high-functioning autism from controls.
authors.affiliation: Georgia State University, Atlanta, GA, USA.
authors.forename: Eva M
authors.initials: EM
authors.lastname: Jansiewicz
authors.forename: Melissa C
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: Goldberg
authors.forename: Craig J
authors.initials: CJ
authors.lastname: Newschaffer
authors.forename: Martha B
authors.initials: MB
authors.lastname: Denckla
authors.forename: Rebecca
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Landa
authors.forename: Stewart H
authors.initials: SH
authors.lastname: Mostofsky
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D020817:Asperger Syndrome / Q000503:physiopathology*; D001321:Autistic Disorder / Q000145:classification / Q000503:physiopathology*; D002648:Child; D006801:Humans; D009043:Motor Activity / Q000502:physiology*; D010808:Physical Examination; D012372:ROC Curve; D012016:Reference Values