Research challenges conventional wisdom about key autism trait

Date:
September 25, 2020
Source:
University of Bath
Summary:
A new study into the causes of sensorimotor impairments prevalent
among autistic people could pave the way for better treatment and
management in the future, say psychologists.



FULL STORY ==========================================================================
A new study into the causes of sensorimotor impairments prevalent among autistic people could pave the way for better treatment and management
in the future, say psychologists.


========================================================================== Publishing findings in the leading journal BRAIN, the scientists from the universities of Exeter and Bath present fresh evidence that sensorimotor difficulties associated with autism are likely caused by a number of
complex and precise neurobiological processes, including differences in
the way autistic people perceive the world around them.

Common sensorimotor features associated with autism can include
sensory overload and impaired hand-eye coordination but also general clumsiness. In addition to the well-documented challenges traditionally associated with autism -- notably in social communication and interaction,
and restricted and repetitive patterns of behaviours -- these impairments represent a major hurdle for individuals and typically will last
throughout their lives.

Yet, despite this, surprisingly little is known about the origins
or mechanisms underlying these behavioural traits and their specific
impacts on an individual's quality of life. For this study researchers
used state-of-the-art mobile eye-tracking and motion capture technology
to understand more about the causes of these difficulties and how they
might be better managed.

Enlisting over 150 people both with and without autism, they tested
a number of processes and mechanisms associated with sensorimotor
difficulties. Most significantly, they found that many processes that
were previously thought to underpin these movement difficulties in autism actually do not appear to be impaired. The research is part of a South
West Doctoral Training Partnership studentship in affiliation with the
ESRC and was led by Tom Arthur -- a PhD student at both the universities
of Exeter and Bath.

He explains: "This study looked at how individuals control their hand-eye movements when picking up and lifting things -- anyone who's lifted
an empty suitcase they thought was full of clothes will know that we
usually do this in a very predictive way.

"Our results showed that autistic people lift new objects in just as
predictive a way as non-autistic people. These findings go against many existing research theories, and indicate that previous conclusions in
the field may have been a bit too broad or simplistic. This is important, because many daily living skills and behaviours depend on an individual's ability to predict the world and act upon their prior expectations."
Co-author Dr Gavin Buckingham from the Department of Sport and Health
Sciences at the University of Exeter added: "It is increasingly clear
that sensory and movement-based difficulties are core characteristics of
autism that have implications for most autistic people's lives. However,
there is currently a real lack of scientific understanding about these
features and an absence of evidence-based interventions for managing
these daily living difficulties." Professor Mark Brosnan, Director of
the Centre for Applied Autism Research at the University of Bath, said:
"By advancing our understanding of the challenges that autistic people experience when trying to predict an unpredictable world, this research
will have great implications for practice. Already the team are exploring
the practical implications of this research within Virtual Reality Environments." It is hoped such work could form the basis of future
teaching and coaching interventions that aim to combat autism-related sensorimotor difficulties.

Autism is a neurodevelopmental condition which is diagnosed in 1-2%
of individuals typically on the basis of persistent difficulties with
social communication and interaction and / or restricted and repetitive patterns of behaviours, activities or interests. In addition, sensorimotor impairments are considered as 'cardinal' features of autism.


========================================================================== Story Source: Materials provided by University_of_Bath. Note: Content
may be edited for style and length.


========================================================================== Journal Reference:
1. Tom Arthur, Sam Vine, Mark Brosnan, Gavin Buckingham. Predictive
sensorimotor control in autism. Brain, 2020; DOI:
10.1093/brain/awaa243 ==========================================================================

Link to news story: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2020/09/200925113645.htm

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