Motor skills, social skills, and participation of autistic children

Generally, participation levels of autistic children are lower than neurotypical children in social and physical activities. The range of activities that autistic children participate in is also less diverse. Building on previous qualitative work, the current research provides a quantitative perspective to explore the relationship between social skills and motor skills in autistic children, and the association with participation at home, school, and in the community. Caregivers and their 5-to-11-year-old autistic children participated in this research. Motor skills were assessed with performance-based (BOT-2-SF) and caregiver-report measures (MABC-2 checklist). Caregivers also completed questionnaires to quantify social skills (SRS-2) and participation (PEM-CY) patterns. Motor assessments were not correlated, suggesting use of the MABC-2 checklist in conjunction with the BOT-2-SF may not be well-suited for younger participants. Discordant results of proxy (i.e., social/motor skills predicted participation frequency at school, with social skills contributing to the model) and performance-based (i.e., social/motor skills predicted participation frequency at home, and average involvement in the community) reports were attributed to caregiver's focus on fine motor performance in school-based settings, considering the established link between social and fine motor skills in autism. Non-significant findings were explained by heterogeneity in social/motor skills among autistic children. Overall, while continued research is warranted, findings support a person-centered (i.e., individualized) approach to address participation of autistic children.