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OCCUPATIONAL THERAPY PROGRAM, DEPARTMENT OF KINESIOLOGY, UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN-MADISON Motor Skills but Not Physical Activity Predict Functional Skills in Children with Autism Sarah Crook, OTS, Nikki Erickson, OTS, Sean Sekelsky, OTS & Brittany G. Travers, PhD Acknowledgments References Stronger grip strength related to improved ADL skills Conclusions Research Design & Methods Implications for Practice Introduction Hours of Physical Activity Handgrip Strength Waisman Activities of Daily Living Scale • Alongside core autism symptoms, motor impairments are being identified in individuals with ASD (American Psychiatric Association, 2013; Geschwind, 2009; Fournier, Hass, Naik, Lodha, & Cauraugh, 2010) • Improving motor skills could increase independence by improving performance in activities of daily living (ADLs) (MacDonald, Lord, & Ulrich, 2013; Travers et al., accepted) • It is unclear what factors, such as physical activity, contribute to motor skill development and how these factors relate to motor skills and ADLs • A significant interaction would mean physical activity interventions could be an easy, cost-effective, and child-friendly way to help overcome inherent motor challenges Research Question: Is physical activity a significant moderator of the effects of motor skills on ADL skills in children with ASD? Physical activity does not moderate grip strength-ADL relationship PLEASE RATE (name of child)’S LEVEL OF INDEPENDENCE IN... Ability to perform task 2 = Independent or does on own 1 = does with help 0 = does not do at all 1. Making his/her own bed 2. Doing household tasks, including picking up around the house, putting things away, light housecleaning, etc. 3. Doing errands, including shopping in stores 4. Doing home repairs, including simple repairs around the house, non-technical in nature; for example, changing light bulbs or repairing a loose screw 5. Doing laundry, washing and drying 6. Washing/bathing 7. Grooming, brushing teeth, combing and/or brushing hair 8. Dressing and undressing 9. Toileting 10. Preparing simple foods requiring no mixing or cooking, including sandwiches, cold cereal, etc. 11. Mixing and cooking simple foods, fry eggs, make pancakes, heat food in microwave, etc. 12. Preparing complete meal 13. Setting and clearing table 14. Drinking from a cup 15. Eating from a plate 16. Washing dishes (including using a dishwasher) 17. Banking and managing daily finances, including keeping track of cash, checking account, paying bills, etc. (Note: if he/she can do a portion but not all circle ‘1’ with help.) “How many hours per week does your child actively participate in physical activities (i.e., team or individual sports like soccer, swimming, walking, running, biking, gymnastics, martial arts, tennis, dance, yoga, tai chi, etc.)?” A multiple regression was used to determine if the relationship between physical activity and grip strength has an interactive effect on ADL performance scores. We would like to acknowledge Friends of the Waisman Center for funding this project, the Motor and Brain Development Lab members, collaborators Andrea Mason and Kreg Gruben, and their lab members who contributed to this project. American Psychiatric Association. (2013). Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (5th ed.). Arlington, VA: American Psychiatric Publishing. Fournier, K. A., Hass, C. J., Naik, S. K., Lodha, N., & Cauraugh, J. H. (2010). Motor coordination in autism spectrum disorders: A synthesis and meta-analysis. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 40(10), 1227–1240. http://doi.org/10.1007/s10803-010-0981-3 Geschwind, D. H. (2009). Advances in autism. Annual Review of Medicine, 60, 367–380. http://doi.org/10.1146/annurev.med.60.053107.121225 MacDonald, M., Lord, C., & Ulrich, D. (2013). The relationship of motor skills and adaptive behavior skills in young children with autism spectrum disorders. Research in Autism Spectrum Disorders, 7(11), 1383– 1390. http://doi.org/10.1016/j.rasd.2013.07.020 Travers, B. G., Bigler, E. D., Duffield, T. C., Prigge, M. B. D., Froehlich, A. L., Lange, N., Alexander, A. L., & Lainhart, J. E. (2016). Longitudinal development of manual motor ability in Autism Spectrum Disorder from childhood to mid-adulthood relates to adaptive daily living skills. Developmental Science. • Physical activity interventions should be used in conjunction with motor skill interventions rather than as a direct means for improving ADLs • Understanding the contributing factors to development in individuals with ASD can aid in providing families opportunities to foster success and self-efficacy as their child strives to be a full functioning and independent adult • Targeting hand skills and grip strength may be a method to improve ADL performance Range Mean SD Age (n=23) 6.36-14.49 9.95 2.29 FSIQ (n=22) 79-133 102.27 12.50 Performance IQ (n=21) 69-143 105.00 17.50 Verbal IQ (n=21) 74-116 99.43 11.65 SRS (n=19) 41-131 91.26 20.20 RBS-R (n=23) 2-88 28.89 20.40 “How many hours per week does your child actively participate in physical education courses?” • Regardless of amount of physical activity, grip strength was a significant predictor of ADL skills • Having adequate grip strength is important for performing many ADLs, which may explain the relationship between grip strength and ADL skills • Physical activity did not predict ADL skills, however it is still possible that physical activity and motor skills are related • Future research should examine the importance of the quality of physical activity (vigorous vs. gentle, organized vs. unorganized, sedentary vs. group) • The physical activity measure used in the current study may not have been sensitive enough to capture necessary details to fully understand the role of physical activity in ASD development Grip strength predicts W-ADL scores, β = .571, p = .004 No significant interaction between Physical Activity/grip strength and W-ADL, β = .004, SE = .043 ,p = .93 No significant main effect for Physical Activity, β = -.294 , SE = .340 ,p = .22
