title: Motor functioning, exploration, visuospatial cognition and language development in preschool children with autism.
abstract: In order to understand typical and atypical developmental trajectories it is important to assess how strengths or weaknesses in one domain may be affecting performance in other domains. This study examined longitudinal relations between early fine motor functioning, visuospatial cognition, exploration, and language development in preschool children with ASD and children with other developmental delays/disorders. The ASD group included 63 children at T1 (Mage = 27.10 months, SD = 8.71) and 46 children at T2 (Mage = 45.85 months, SD = 7.16). The DD group consisted of 269 children at T1 (Mage = 17.99 months, SD = 5.59), and 121 children at T2 (Mag e= 43.51 months, SD = 3.81). A subgroup nested within the total sample was randomly selected and studied in-depth on exploratory behavior. This group consisted of 50 children, 21 children with ASD (Mage = 27.57, SD = 7.09) and 29 children with DD (Mage = 24.03 months, SD = 6.42). Fine motor functioning predicted language in both groups. Fine motor functioning was related to visuospatial cognition in both groups and related to object exploration, spatial exploration, and social orientation during exploration only in the ASD group. Visuospatial cognition and all exploration measures were related to both receptive and expressive language in both groups. The findings are in line with the embodied cognition theory, which suggests that cognition emerges from and is grounded in the bodily interactions of an agent with the environment. This study emphasizes the need for researchers and clinicians to consider cognition as emergent from multiple interacting systems.
authors: Department of Special Education: Centre for Cognitive and Motor Disabilities, Heidelberglaan 1, P.O. Box 80.140, 3508 TC Utrecht, The Netherlands. Electronic address: A.Hellendoorn@uu.nl.
authors: Annika
authors: A
authors: Hellendoorn
authors: Department of Special Education: Centre for Cognitive and Motor Disabilities, Heidelberglaan 1, P.O. Box 80.140, 3508 TC Utrecht, The Netherlands.
authors: Lex
authors: L
authors: Wijnroks
authors: Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, University Medical Centre Utrecht, The Netherlands.
authors: Emma
authors: E
authors: van Daalen
authors: Youth Division, Altrecht Institute for Mental Health Care, Utrecht, The Netherlands.
authors: Claudine
authors: C
authors: Dietz
authors: Department of Cognitive Neuroscience, Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behavior, Radboud University Nijmegen, and Karakter Child and Adolescent Psychiatry University Centre, Nijmegen, The Netherlands.
authors: Jan K
authors: JK
authors: Buitelaar
authors: Department of Special Education: Centre for Cognitive and Motor Disabilities, Heidelberglaan 1, P.O. Box 80.140, 3508 TC Utrecht, The Netherlands.
authors: Paul
authors: P
authors: Leseman
mesh_terms: D001321:Autistic Disorder / Q000503:physiopathology* / Q000523:psychology; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003071:Cognition; D015331:Cohort Studies; D002658:Developmental Disabilities / Q000503:physiopathology* / Q000523:psychology; D005106:Exploratory Behavior; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007804:Language Development; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D009043:Motor Activity; D009048:Motor Skills; D009426:Netherlands; D011446:Prospective Studies; D065855:Spatial Processing
keywords: Autism; Exploration; Fine motor functioning; Language; Visuospatial cognition