sensorimotor Flashcards
(24 cards)
What is the sensorimotor stage of development according to Piaget’s developmental stages
Infant (0-2yrs) explores world thru direct sensory/motor contactObject permanence and separation anxiety develops in this stage Lays foundation for future stages (preoperational, concrete operational and formal operational)
What are sensorimotor skills?
How we use our senses and muscles together to move, interact, and respond to the world. Examples: walking, reaching, clumsiness, reading, writing, eye contact. Brain must combine proprioception, sensory input, and motor planning.
What is sensorimotor integration?
Combining motor plans with sensory feedback. Example: reaching for a cup—plan the movement, then adjust as new sensory info comes in. Forward model: brain predicts movement outcome; if mismatch, corrects mid-action.
What happens if sensorimotor integration is disrupted?
Movements become slow, awkward, or inaccurate. Harder to learn new skills or adjust quickly.
What is Developmental Coordination Disorder (DCD) / Dyspraxia?
Condition marked by poor coordination, timing, and movement organization, with social/communication difficulties. Often overlaps with autism.
How are DCD and autism related? (Cassidy et al., 2016)
Adults with autism are much more likely to have DCD/dyspraxia (6.9% vs 0.8%). DCD adults have higher autistic traits/lower empathy than controls. Sensorimotor skills are linked to social skills and empathy.
Why screen for both autism and DCD? (Hannant et al., 2016)
Both affect motor skills, social/communication, and empathy. Always assess for autism in DCD and vice versa.
What are motor difficulties in autism?
80% of autistic people have definite motor difficulties. First described by Kanner & Asperger. Present from infancy (Flanagan et al., 2012). Parents notice at 14.7mo (Chawarska et al., 2007). Linked to poor imitation, speech, emotion recognition, social anxiety.
What are sensory difficulties in autism?
65–95% of autistic people have sensory difficulties (Caminha & Lampreia, 2012). Includes proprioceptive impairment (trouble knowing where body is). More synaesthesia. Weak central coherence—good at detail, trouble seeing big picture.
What is weak central coherence (WCC)?
ASD: faster at embedded figures/visual detail tasks (Shah & Frith, 1983, 1993), superior detail processing (Mottron et al., 2006). Focus on details over global picture.
What is biological motion and how is it affected in autism?
Ability to perceive motion of living things. ASD: trouble processing biological motion (Klin et al., 2008, 2009; Koldewyn et al., 2011). Linked to higher autistic traits (Blake et al., 2003). May relate to social cognition/attention.
What are the impacts of sensory difficulties in autism?
Linked to poor social/communication skills (Matsushima & Kato, 2013), autistic traits, repetitive behaviors, anxiety, intolerance of uncertainty.
How can sensory difficulties be managed?
Social stories, visual timetables, advance warnings, coping with uncertainty strategies (CUES programme—Rodgers et al., 2017).
How are sensory and motor abilities linked?
Difficulties often co-occur and increase chance of autism diagnosis at age 3 (Landa & Garrett-Mayer, 2006).
How do sensorimotor skills predict social abilities in autism?
Autistic children with more severe sensory and motor difficulties have more social/communication problems. Catching a ball (uses both) strongly linked to autism symptoms. Sensorimotor skills predict social skills better than sensory or motor alone (Hannant et al., 2016).
What sensorimotor integration differences are seen in autism?
Eye movements are less accurate/slower to start/trouble tracking (Schmitt et al., 2013; Wilkes et al., 2015). Hand-eye coordination poorer (Glazebrook et al., 2009). Can delay looking at social cues.
What is the rubber hand illusion (RHI) and what happens in autism?
RHI: trick the brain into feeling a fake hand is your own. ASD: less susceptible, delayed response (Cascio et al., 2012; Paton et al., 2012). Linked to reduced empathy.
How do autistic people learn/adapt motor skills?
Can learn new motor skills, but slower to modify ‘forward model.’ Rely more on proprioceptive than visual feedback (Gepner & Mestre, 2002; Gowen et al., 2008). Less able to correct movements with visual feedback (Dowd et al., 2012).
What is the cerebellum’s role in sensorimotor integration?
Cerebellum is key for coordinating sensorimotor integration. Error correction for saccadic movements (Schmitt et al., 2014). Cerebellum abnormalities found in autism (McAlonan et al., 2002; Allen et al., 2004), less activation during motor tasks.
What role does GABA play in autism and sensorimotor skills?
GABA is an inhibitory neurotransmitter. In autism, less efficient synthesis and fewer receptors for GABA in cerebellum may impact sensorimotor function.
What are the social and behavioral impacts of sensorimotor difficulties in autism?
Results in trouble with eye movements, coordination, integrating multiple cues, and more repetitive motor behaviors. Socially: harder to copy/respond to cues, trouble combining gesture, eye contact, and speech.
What is the sensorimotor theory of autism?
Suggests early sensory and motor difficulties could explain many features of autism (Hannant et al., 2016). Sensorimotor issues might drive or maintain social, communication, and behavioral differences.
How does sensorimotor theory relate to other theories?
Adds to Theory of Mind, Weak Central Coherence, and Executive Function models. May explain aspects those other models do not.
Key studies/references for sensorimotor development in autism?
Cassidy et al. (2016): Autism & DCD overlap. Green et al. (2009): 80% of autistic people have motor difficulties. Chawarska et al. (2007): Early motor delay. Flanagan et al. (2012): Motor differences from infancy. Shah & Frith (1983, 1993): Embedded figures. Mottron et al. (2006): Visual detail. Klin et al. (2008, 2009): Biological motion. Cascio et al. (2012): Rubber hand illusion. Hannant et al. (2016): Sensorimotor skills and autism severity. Schmitt et al. (2013, 2014): Eye movement and cerebellum. McAlonan et al. (2002); Allen et al. (2004): Cerebellar differences.
