A Kinematic Analysis of Motor Planning and Movement Execution of Children With Autism Spectrum Condition

NCT06144775 | Unknown

• 1 other identifier: CNR-IRIB-PRO-2023-004
• Study Type: observational
• Target: 60
• Locations: 1 country
• Sites: 1

Brief Summary

Autism Spectrum Condition (ASC) is a behavioral syndrome characterized by a severe organizational disorder of thinking and major functions that regulate human adaptation. It is to be considered as a functional disorder, or of executive functions, whose dysfunction is expressed in the difficulty of making voluntary movements, sequentially coordinated with each other according to a purpose, and of initiating an action, planning and monitoring it by inhibiting inappropriate responses such as gesture perseveration. Literature studies suggest that, compared to children with typical development (TD) and regardless of cognitive status, children with ASC have pervasive motor dysfunction that results in universal difficulties in several aspects of motor function, including - (1) fine motricity, (2) some aspects of praxis while performing tasks based on imitation of sequences, (3) simultaneous coordination of both sides of the body during rhythmic tasks of the upper limbs, and́ (4) interpersonal coordination and synchrony. The hypothesis of the study is that by comparing these aspects in 2 groups of children with ASC and children with TD using A.I. systems, it will be possible to extract objective markers of motor deficits found in autism, facilitating the validation of measurements acquired with clinical scales. The objective of the study is to investigate the characteristics of manual motor planning and performance difficulties in children with ASC using kinematic measurements. 30 ASC children with medium-high functioning and 30 TD children, aged 7 to 13 years, IQ \> 80, in the absence of motor deficits due to another clinical condition, will be recruited. The protocol will take place in a single session during which children will be video-recorded performing simple and complex rhythmic upper limb actions with a social partner. The presence of characteristic fine motor behaviors, practice errors, perseverations, movement variability, and interpersonal synchrony will be observed. The study will involve the use of 3 tasks contained in NEPSY-II: Finger tapping, Visual-motor precision, and Imitation of manual motor sequences. The videos will be recorded simultaneously and the different angles will allow hand kinematics to be extracted and analyzed with A.I. algorithms to measure displacement, velocity, acceleration, frequency and any other kinematic parameters highlighted. Thus, it is expected to identify objective markers of motor deficits found in children with ASC.

Conditions

Autism; Autism Spectrum Disorder

Keywords

autism spectrum condition; motor planning; kinematic analysis; children

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (6)

• Reaction time and latency

  In a single session the children will be video-recorded while performing simple and complex rhythmic actions of the upper limbs with a social partner. The presence of characteristic motor behaviors, practice errors, perseverations, and movement variability will be observed. During the execution of the three blocks of tasks (finger tapping, visuo-motor precision, and manual motor sequences) four GOPRO cameras, mounted on tripods in different angles of the room, record videos simultaneously. The videos will be analyzed through Artificial Intelligence algorithms to determine the movement's reaction time and latency in seconds (s).

  The recording session needs approximately 20 minutes to complete.

• Speed

  In a single session the children will be video-recorded while performing simple and complex rhythmic actions of the upper limbs with a social partner. The presence of characteristic motor behaviors, practice errors, perseverations, and movement variability will be observed. During the execution of the three blocks of tasks (finger tapping, visuo-motor precision, and manual motor sequences) four GOPRO cameras, mounted on tripods in different angles of the room, record videos simultaneously. The videos will be analyzed through Artificial Intelligence algorithms to determine the movement's speed in millimeter per second (mm/s).

  The recording session needs approximately 20 minutes to complete.

• Quantity of motion

  In a single session the children will be video-recorded while performing simple and complex rhythmic actions of the upper limbs with a social partner. The presence of characteristic motor behaviors, practice errors, perseverations, and movement variability will be observed. During the execution of the three blocks of tasks (finger tapping, visuo-motor precision, and manual motor sequences) four GOPRO cameras, mounted on tripods in different angles of the room, record videos simultaneously. The videos will be analyzed through Artificial Intelligence algorithms to determine the quantity of motion.

  The recording session needs approximately 20 minutes to complete.

• Frequency

  In a single session the children will be video-recorded while performing simple and complex rhythmic actions of the upper limbs with a social partner. The presence of characteristic motor behaviors, practice errors, perseverations, and movement variability will be observed. During the execution of the three blocks of tasks (finger tapping, visuo-motor precision, and manual motor sequences) four GOPRO cameras, mounted on tripods in different angles of the room, record videos simultaneously. The videos will be analyzed through Artificial Intelligence algorithms to determine the frequency in Hertz (Hz) of the movements.

  The recording session needs approximately 20 minutes to complete.

• Acceleration

  In a single session the children will be video-recorded while performing simple and complex rhythmic actions of the upper limbs with a social partner. The presence of characteristic motor behaviors, practice errors, perseverations, and movement variability will be observed. During the execution of the three blocks of tasks (finger tapping, visuo-motor precision, and manual motor sequences) four GOPRO cameras, mounted on tripods in different angles of the room, record videos simultaneously. The videos will be analyzed through Artificial Intelligence algorithms to determine the movement's acceleration in millimeter per square second (mm/s2).

  The recording session needs approximately 20 minutes to complete.

• Angular speed

  In a single session the children will be video-recorded while performing simple and complex rhythmic actions of the upper limbs with a social partner. The presence of characteristic motor behaviors, practice errors, perseverations, and movement variability will be observed. During the execution of the three blocks of tasks (finger tapping, visuo-motor precision, and manual motor sequences) four GOPRO cameras, mounted on tripods in different angles of the room, record videos simultaneously. The videos will be analyzed through Artificial Intelligence algorithms to determine the movement's angular speed in radians per second (rad/s).

  The recording session needs approximately 20 minutes to complete.

Secondary Outcomes (3)

• Wechsler Abbreviated Scale of Intelligence - Second Edition (WASI-II)

  The evaluation session will be scheduled before of kinematics measurements. The test needs approximately 25-40 minutes to complete.

• Movement Assessment Battery for Children - Second Edition (MABC-2)

  The evaluation session will be scheduled before of kinematics measurements. The test needs approximately 20-40 minutes. The checklist needs approximately 10 minutes.

• Behavioral Rating Inventory of Executive Function (BRIEF)

  The evaluation session will be scheduled before of kinematics measurements. Questionnaires take 10 minutes to administer.

Study Arms (2)

Children with autism spectrum condition

Thirty ASC children with medium-high functioning, aged 7 to 13 years, IQ \> 80, in the absence of motor deficits due to another clinical condition.

Other: Kinematics measures

Children with typical development

Thirty TD children, aged 7 to 13 years, IQ \> 80, in the absence of motor deficits due to clinical condition.

Other: Kinematics measures

Interventions

Kinematics measures OTHER

In a single session each child will be video-recorded while performing simple and complex rhythmic actions of the upper limbs with a social partner. The presence of characteristic motor behaviors, practice errors, perseverations, and movement variability will be observed. The study involves the use of three blocks of tasks of the neuropsychological battery (NEPSY-II): Finger Tapping, Visuo-Motor Precision, and Manual Motor Sequences. The order within each block will be randomized.

Children with autism spectrum condition; Children with typical development

Eligibility Criteria

• Age: 7 Years - 13 Years
• Sex: all
• Healthy Volunteers: Yes
• Age Groups: Child (0-17)
• Sampling Method: Probability Sample

Study Population

Thirty children with ASD and 30 typically developing (TD) children will participate in the study. The children with ASD will be recruited and tested at the clinical facilities of the Institute for Biomedical Research and Innovation of the National Research Council of Italy (IRIB-CNR) in Messina. To be included in the study the child needs to have an ASD diagnosis based on the DSM-5 criteria from a licensed clinical child neuropsychiatrist but no established intellectual disability (ID) diagnosis. The TD children will recruit through advertisements in schools located close to the Institute. Informed consent will obtain from all subjects involved in the study.

You may qualify if:

• Diagnosis of Autism
• QI ≥ 80.

You may not qualify if:

• Motor deficits due to another clinical condition

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Istituto per la Ricerca e l'Innovazione Biomedica: lead
• Messina, Italy: collaborator

Study Sites (1)

Institute for Biomedical Research and Innovation (IRIB) - National Research Council (CNR)

Messina, 98164, Italy

RECRUITING

Related Publications (7)

• Backstrom A, Johansson AM, Rudolfsson T, Ronnqvist L, von Hofsten C, Rosander K, Domellof E. Motor planning and movement execution during goal-directed sequential manual movements in 6-year-old children with autism spectrum disorder: A kinematic analysis. Res Dev Disabil. 2021 Aug;115:104014. doi: 10.1016/j.ridd.2021.104014. Epub 2021 Jun 24.

  PMID: 34174471 BACKGROUND

• Foster NC, Bennett SJ, Causer J, Elliott D, Bird G, Hayes SJ. Getting Off to a Shaky Start: Specificity in Planning and Feedforward Control During Sensorimotor Learning in Autism Spectrum Disorder. Autism Res. 2020 Mar;13(3):423-435. doi: 10.1002/aur.2214. Epub 2019 Oct 29.

  PMID: 31661192 BACKGROUND

• Glazebrook CM, Elliott D, Lyons J. A kinematic analysis of how young adults with and without autism plan and control goal-directed movements. Motor Control. 2006 Jul;10(3):244-64. doi: 10.1123/mcj.10.3.244.

  PMID: 17106133 BACKGROUND

• Kaur M, M Srinivasan S, N Bhat A. Comparing motor performance, praxis, coordination, and interpersonal synchrony between children with and without Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). Res Dev Disabil. 2018 Jan;72:79-95. doi: 10.1016/j.ridd.2017.10.025. Epub 2017 Nov 6.

  PMID: 29121516 BACKGROUND

• Grace N, Johnson BP, Rinehart NJ, Enticott PG. Are Motor Control and Regulation Problems Part of the ASD Motor Profile? A Handwriting Study. Dev Neuropsychol. 2018;43(7):581-594. doi: 10.1080/87565641.2018.1504948. Epub 2018 Aug 20.

  PMID: 30124332 BACKGROUND

• Vivanti G, Trembath D, Dissanayake C. Mechanisms of imitation impairment in autism spectrum disorder. J Abnorm Child Psychol. 2014 Nov;42(8):1395-405. doi: 10.1007/s10802-014-9874-9.

  PMID: 24736983 BACKGROUND

• Zampella CJ, Wang LAL, Haley M, Hutchinson AG, de Marchena A. Motor Skill Differences in Autism Spectrum Disorder: a Clinically Focused Review. Curr Psychiatry Rep. 2021 Aug 13;23(10):64. doi: 10.1007/s11920-021-01280-6.

  PMID: 34387753 BACKGROUND

MeSH Terms

Conditions

Autistic Disorder; Autism Spectrum Disorder

Condition Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Child Development Disorders, Pervasive; Neurodevelopmental Disorders; Mental Disorders

Study Officials

• Flavia Marino

  Istituto per la Ricerca e l'Innovazione Biomedica

  PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR

Central Study Contacts

Ileana Scarcella

CONTACT

+393408322948; ileana.scarcella@irib.cnr.it

Giovanni Pioggia

CONTACT

+393203390892; giovanni.pioggia@irib.cnr.it

Study Design

• Study Type: observational
• Observational Model: CASE CONTROL
• Time Perspective: CROSS SECTIONAL
• Sponsor Type: OTHER
• Responsible Party: PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR
• PI Title: Head of Unit

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: November 7, 2023
• First Posted: November 22, 2023
• Study Start: October 1, 2022
• Primary Completion: October 1, 2024
• Study Completion: March 31, 2025
• Last Updated: November 22, 2023

Record last verified: 2023-11

Data Sharing

• IPD Sharing: Will not share

Locations

IT (1)