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Article
Brief Report: Visuo-spatial Guidance of Movement during Gesture Imitation and Mirror Drawing in Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders
Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders
  • Nicole M.G. Salowitz, Marquette University
  • Petra Eccarius, Indiana University - Purdue University Indianapolis
  • Audrey Meyer Carson, Marquette University
  • Kirsten A. Schohl, Marquette University
  • Sheryl Jayne Stevens, Marquette University
  • Amy Vaughan van Hecke, Marquette University
  • Robert A. Scheidt, Marquette University
Document Type
Article
Language
eng
Format of Original
11 p.
Publication Date
4-1-2013
Publisher
Springer
Original Item ID
doi: 10.1007/s10803-012-1631-8
Abstract

Thirteen autistic and 14 typically developing children (controls) imitated hand/arm gestures and performed mirror drawing; both tasks assessed ability to reorganize the relationship between spatial goals and the motor commands needed to acquire them. During imitation, children with autism were less accurate than controls in replicating hand shape, hand orientation, and number of constituent limb movements. During shape tracing, children with autism performed accurately with direct visual feedback, but when viewing their hand in a mirror, some children with autism generated fewer errors than controls whereas others performed much worse. Large mirror drawing errors correlated with hand orientation and hand shape errors in imitation, suggesting that visuospatial information processing deficits may contribute importantly to functional motor coordination deficits in autism.

Comments

Accepted version. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, Vol. 43, No. 4 (April 2013): 985-995. DOI. © 2013 Springer Nature Switzerland AG. Part of Springer Nature. Used with permission.

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Citation Information
Nicole M.G. Salowitz, Petra Eccarius, Audrey Meyer Carson, Kirsten A. Schohl, et al.. "Brief Report: Visuo-spatial Guidance of Movement during Gesture Imitation and Mirror Drawing in Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders" Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders (2013) ISSN: 0162-3257
Available at: http://works.bepress.com/robert_scheidt/10/