title: One hand, two hands, two people: Prospective sensorimotor control in children with autism.
abstract: Where grasps are made reveals how grasps are planned. The grasp height effect predicts that, when people take hold of an object to move it to a new position, the grasp height on the object is inversely related to the height of the target position. In the present study, we used this effect as a window into the prospective sensorimotor control of children with autism spectrum disorders without accompanying intellectual impairment. Participants were instructed to grasp a vertical cylinder and move it from a table (home position) to a shelf of varying height (target position). Depending on the conditions, they performed the task using only one hand (unimanual), two hands (bimanual), or with the help of a co-actor (joint). Comparison between the performance of typically developing children and children with autism revealed no group difference across tasks. We found, however, a significant influence of IQ on grasp height modulation in both groups. These results provide clear evidence against a general prospective sensorimotor planning deficit and suggest that at least some form of higher order planning is present in autism without accompanying intellectual impairment.
authors.affiliation: C'MON Unit, Fondazione Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, Genova, Italy.
authors.forename: Caterina
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Ansuini
authors.affiliation: C'MON Unit, Fondazione Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, Genova, Italy.
authors.forename: Jessica
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Podda
authors.affiliation: Child Neuropsychiatric Unit, G. Gaslini Institute, Genova, Italy.
authors.forename: Francesca Maria
authors.initials: FM
authors.lastname: Battaglia
authors.affiliation: Child Neuropsychiatric Unit, G. Gaslini Institute, Genova, Italy.
authors.forename: Edvige
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Veneselli
authors.affiliation: C'MON Unit, Fondazione Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, Genova, Italy; Department of Psychology, University of Torino, Torino, Italy. Electronic address: cristina.becchio@iit.it.
authors.forename: Cristina
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Becchio
mesh_terms: D000067877:Autism Spectrum Disorder / Q000503:physiopathology* / Q000523:psychology*; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D002648:Child; D002657:Child Development; D005260:Female; D006225:Hand / Q000503:physiopathology; D018737:Hand Strength; D006801:Humans; D007360:Intelligence; D008297:Male; D011597:Psychomotor Performance
keywords: Autism; Grasp height effect; Joint action; Kinematics; Prospective control; Sensorimotor