Motor impairments are common in individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) although less is known about the neural mechanisms related to such difficulties. This review provides an outline of functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) findings associated with execution and observation of naturalistic actions in autistic adults. Summarized outcomes revealed that adults with ASD recruit similar brain regions as neurotypical adults during action execution and during action observation, although with a difference in direction and/or magnitude. For action execution, this included higher and lower activity bilaterally in the precentral cortex, the parietal cortex, the inferior frontal gyrus (IFG), the middle temporal gyrus (MTG), the occipital cortex, and the cerebellum. For action observation, differences mainly concerned both higher and lower activity in bilateral IFG and right precentral gyrus, and lower activity in MTG. Activity overlaps between action execution and observation highlight atypical recruitment of IFG, MTG, precentral, and parieto-occipital regions in ASD. The results show atypical recruitment of brain regions subserving motor planning and/or predictive control in ASD. Atypical brain activations during action observation, and the pattern of activity overlaps, indicate an association with difficulties in understanding others' actions and intentions.

Sensorimotor difficulties are common in children with autism spectrum disorder, and it has been suggested that motor planning problems underlie their atypical movements. At early school-age, motor planning development typically involves changes in visuomotor integration, a function known to be affected in autism spectrum disorder. However, there is a lack of detailed characterization of typical motor planning development during this stage, and how motor planning develops in children with autism spectrum disorder is largely unknown. This longitudinal kinematic study examined goal-directed sequential manual movements in children with autism spectrum disorder and in typically developing children across ages 7, 8, and 9 years. We manipulated goal-difficulty and availability of initial visual information to investigate visuomotor integration and chaining of subparts during movement performance. The results revealed emerging group differences at older age, suggesting atypical motor planning development in children with autism spectrum disorder. Notably, unlike the typically developing group, availability of initial visual information did not facilitate motor planning for the autism spectrum disorder group. The results show that motor planning differences in autism spectrum disorder appear related to atypical visuomotor integration and global processing of sensorimotor information. The findings also emphasize the importance of considering developmental aspects in research and practice related to motor problems in children with autism spectrum disorder.

Motor issues are frequently observed accompanying core deficits in autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Impaired motor behavior has also been linked to cognitive and social abnormalities, and problems with predictive ability have been suggested to play an important, possibly shared, part across all these domains. Brain imaging of sensory-motor behavior is a promising method for characterizing the neurobiological foundation for this proposed key trait. The present functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) developmental study, involving children/youth with ASD, typically developing (TD) children/youth, and neurotypical adults, will investigate brain activations during execution and observation of a visually guided, goal-directed sequential (two-step) manual task. Neural processing related to both execution and observation of the task, as well as activation patterns during the preparation stage before execution/observation will be investigated. Main regions of interest include frontoparietal and occipitotemporal cortical areas, the human mirror neuron system (MNS), and the cerebellum.

Background: Flexible work arrangements (FWA) are common, but knowledge on how to organize flexible work to reduce negative consequences and preserve positive aspects is currently sparse, which hampers organizational initiatives.  

Purpose: This study aimed at determining the extent to which work strategies, work-related ICT use outside regular working hours (i.e., use of laptop, tablet, or smartphone, to handle information and facilitate communication), productivity, expectations of availability, and clarity of expectations about availability, had changed among office-based employees with FWA two and four months after a participative two-step workplace intervention.

Methods: An intervention group (n=97) was compared to a control group working as usual (n=70). The intervention, initiated and approved by the top management of the organization, included individual education intended to change work strategies, and workshops developing common rules and routines for FWA within the work group.

Results: Participants were satisfied with the intervention and reported larger changes than the control group in work strategies. No statistically significant effects were, however, found on ICT use, productivity, or expectations of availability.

Conclusions: This participative workplace intervention was successful in changing employees work strategies but may not be effective in influencing ICT use outside regular working hours, productivity, expectations of availability, and clarity of expectations about availability.

Background

The main aim was to examine whether patients with persistent upper quadrant pain have higher end-point variability in goal directed pointing movements than pain-free controls when the pointing task is performed in total darkness and under full vision. An additional aim was to study associations between the magnitude of end-point variability and a clinical movement control test battery and self-rated functioning among patients.

Methods

Seventeen patients and 17 age- and gender-matched pain-free controls performed a pointing task that evaluated end-point variability of repetitive shoulder movements in horizontal adduction and abduction with full vision, and abduction with no visual information, completed a movement control test battery of neck and shoulder control tests and answered questionnaires.

Results

Patients had higher end point variability for horizontal abduction when performed with no visual information. For horizontal adduction the variability was higher, but only when it was controlled for movement time. No significant correlations were found between end-point variability and self-rated functioning, nor between end-point variability and neuromuscular control of the glenohumeral joint.

Conclusions

This study provides preliminary evidence that patients with persistent neck/shoulder pain can partly compensate proprioceptive deficits in goal-directed arm movement when visual feedback is present.

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a diagnosis based on social communication deficits and prevalence of repetitive stereotyped behaviors, but sensorimotor disturbances are commonly exhibited. This longitudinal study aimed at exploring the development of the ability to form mental motor representations (motor imagery; MI) in 14 children with ASD and 17 typically developing (TD) children at 7, 8 and 9 years of age. MI was investigated using a hand laterality paradigm from which response times (RT) and error rates were extracted and compared with performance on a visually based mental rotation task (VI). A criterion task was used to ensure that the children could perform the task. The results showed wide performance variability in the ASD group with more failures than TD in the MI criterion task, especially at 7 years. For all age levels and both the MI and VI tasks, the error rates were significantly higher and RTs longer for the ASD group compared with TD. Signs of MI strategies were however noted in the ASD group as biomechanically constrained orientations had longer RTs than less constrained orientations, a RT pattern that differed from the VI task. The presence of MI in the ASD group was most evident at 9 years, but the error rates remained high at all ages, both in the MI and VI task. In comparison, the TD group showed stable MI strategies at all ages. These findings indicate that MI ability is delayed and/or impaired in children with ASD which may be related to difficulties performing required mental rotations.

Aims

To investigate characteristics of manual motor planning and performance difficulties/diversity in children with ASD by detailed kinematic measurements. Further, associations between movement parameters and cognitive functions were explored.

Methods and procedures

Six-year-old children with ASD (N = 12) and typically developing (TD) peers (N = 12) performed a sequential manual task comprising grasping and fitting a semi-circular peg into a goal-slot. The goal-slot orientation was manipulated to impose different motor planning constraints. Movements were recorded by an optoelectronic system.

Outcomes and results

The ASD-group displayed less efficient motor planning than the TD-group, evident in the reach-to-grasp and transport kinematics and less proactive adjustments of the peg to the goal-slot orientations. The intra-individual variation of movement kinematics was higher in the ASD-group compared to the TD-group. Further, in the ASD-group, movement performance associated negatively with cognitive functions.

Conclusions and implications

Planning and execution of sequential manual movements proved challenging for children with ASD, likely contributing to problems in everyday actions. Detailed kinematic investigations contribute to the generation of specific knowledge about the nature of atypical motor performance/diversity in ASD. This is of potential clinical relevance.