Work

A Feasibility Study of Bilateral Wrist Sensors for Measuring Motor Traits in Children With Autism

Year: 2022

Type: article

Abstract: Direct, quantitative measures of hyperactivity and motor coordination, two motor characteristics associated with impairment in autism, are limited. Wearable sensors can objectively index real-world movement variables that may relate to these behaviors. Here, we explored the feasibility of bilateral wrist accelerometers for measuring upper limb activity in 3–10-year-olds with autism ( n = 22; 19 boys, 3 girls; M age = 5.64, SD = 2.73 years) and without autism ( n = 26; 15 boys, 11 girls; M age = 6.26, SD = 2.47 years). We investigated the relationships between movement characteristics related to duration, intensity, complexity, and symmetry on the one hand and parent-reported hyperactivity and motor coordination on the other. Participants with and without autism wore the sensors for 12-hour periods. Sensor variables varied by age but not sex, with movement intensity and complexity moderately related to motor coordination. These findings lend preliminary support to wearable sensors as a means of providing ecologically-valid metrics of motor characteristics that impact adaptive function in children with autism.

Source: Perceptual and Motor Skills

DOI: 10.1177/00315125221125275

Authors: Jeffrey Konrad, Natasha Marrus, Catherine E. Lang

Institution: Washington University in St. Louis

Language: English

Topic: Autism Spectrum Disorder Research

Subfield: Cognitive Neuroscience

Field: Neuroscience

Domain: Life Sciences

SDG: Good health and well-being

Open Access status: green

Funders: National Institute of Mental Health, Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development