Postural reactivity to fast visual motion differentiates autistic from children with Asperger syndrome. Brief report

The study searched for a sensorimotor marker (i.e. visuopostural tuning) that could be correlated with the severity of motor impairments in children with autistic spectrum disorders. Given that autistic children were previously reported to be posturally hyporeactive to visually perceived environmental motion in comparison with normal control children, it was investigated whether children with Asperger syndrome (AS) would share the same postural hyporeactivity to visual motion. Three autistic children with mild to severe motor impairments, three AS children with soft motor signs, and nine normal control children were tested for overall postural instability and postural reactivity to environmental motion. Results indicate that overall postural instability is significantly reduced in autistic children, and suggest a differentiation between children with autism and children with AS with regard to postural reactivity to fast visual motion. (Original abstract - amended)