TY - JOUR
T1 - A Feasibility Study of Bilateral Wrist Sensors for Measuring Motor Traits in Children With Autism
AU - Konrad, Jeffrey
AU - Marrus, Natasha
AU - Lang, Catherine E.
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© The Author(s) 2022.
PY - 2022/12
Y1 - 2022/12
N2 - Direct, quantitative measures of hyperactivity and motor coordination, two motor characteristics associated with impairment in autism, are limited. Wearable sensors can objectively index real-world movement variables that may relate to these behaviors. Here, we explored the feasibility of bilateral wrist accelerometers for measuring upper limb activity in 3–10-year-olds with autism (n = 22; 19 boys, 3 girls; M age = 5.64, SD = 2.73 years) and without autism (n = 26; 15 boys, 11 girls; M age = 6.26, SD = 2.47 years). We investigated the relationships between movement characteristics related to duration, intensity, complexity, and symmetry on the one hand and parent-reported hyperactivity and motor coordination on the other. Participants with and without autism wore the sensors for 12-hour periods. Sensor variables varied by age but not sex, with movement intensity and complexity moderately related to motor coordination. These findings lend preliminary support to wearable sensors as a means of providing ecologically-valid metrics of motor characteristics that impact adaptive function in children with autism.
AB - Direct, quantitative measures of hyperactivity and motor coordination, two motor characteristics associated with impairment in autism, are limited. Wearable sensors can objectively index real-world movement variables that may relate to these behaviors. Here, we explored the feasibility of bilateral wrist accelerometers for measuring upper limb activity in 3–10-year-olds with autism (n = 22; 19 boys, 3 girls; M age = 5.64, SD = 2.73 years) and without autism (n = 26; 15 boys, 11 girls; M age = 6.26, SD = 2.47 years). We investigated the relationships between movement characteristics related to duration, intensity, complexity, and symmetry on the one hand and parent-reported hyperactivity and motor coordination on the other. Participants with and without autism wore the sensors for 12-hour periods. Sensor variables varied by age but not sex, with movement intensity and complexity moderately related to motor coordination. These findings lend preliminary support to wearable sensors as a means of providing ecologically-valid metrics of motor characteristics that impact adaptive function in children with autism.
KW - accelerometry
KW - autism
KW - motor behavior
KW - movement disorders
KW - wearable sensors
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85139430495&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1177/00315125221125275
DO - 10.1177/00315125221125275
M3 - Article
C2 - 36065830
AN - SCOPUS:85139430495
SN - 0031-5125
VL - 129
SP - 1709
EP - 1735
JO - Perceptual and motor skills
JF - Perceptual and motor skills
IS - 6
ER -