Autism spectrum disorder (ASD). It is a neurological condition that affects many aspects of one’s life, including motor skills. These skills influence the way one moves or uses body parts. These abilities are a major part of one’s body functions and affect their development. However, Autism and motor skills have an intricate connection. Anyone with Autism Spectrum Disorder can face issues in developing and improving their movements.
If you are a parent or a guardian of a child diagnosed with Autism, you might have observed these issues in them. Fortunately, there are solutions like Autism therapy services. However, before you learn about those, let us understand how this condition is related to motor skills and the best ways to extend support.
Read this post to learn about the relationship between Autism and a child’s motor skills.
Understanding Motor Skills
As you read earlier, motor skills are responsible for a child’s movements. These are of two types, including fine and gross motor skills. In the further section, let us understand these two categorizations in detail.
Fine Motor Skills
Fine motor skills include small muscle movements and are used for many daily activities. They make one independent and affect their cognitive and academic tasks. Motor skills lay the foundation for motor functions and coordination. Additionally, these are often linked to forming social relationships. One would be able to engage in common activities like playing and painting with developed motor skills. Some examples of fine motor skills are writing, buttoning shirts, washing hands, etc.
Motor Skills Challenges Faced with Autism
Anyone with Autism spectrum disorder faces issues with the development of their motor skills. These can impact them in many ways, including difficulties in tasks that need motor control. One with Autism can have issues with balance and coordination, causing problems with tasks like tying a shoelace.
Motor delays are another issue faced by individuals with Autism. It can include activities like pointing in a direction or holding any object firmly. Troubles with stereotyped movements, such as flapping hands or flicking fingers, can also be observed.
Gross Motor Skills
Gross motor skills refer to activities requiring large movements. These use large body muscles of legs and arms. Some examples are walking, jumping, climbing, and more. Gross motor development can affect one’s physical development. However, did you know there is a connection between gross motor development and cognitive development? This happens due to development in hand-eye coordination and visual perception. For instance, a child knows how to participate in physical activities and engage with the audience. In this state, they will be able to connect with their peers better. This can result from events like cooperating and communicating effectively.
Gross Motor Skills Disturbances Due to Autism
Gross motor skills disturbances due to Autism can make a child disinclined towards various physical activities. One can face issues achieving basic motor goals, including walking, crawling, and sitting. The movements can be uncoordinated and thus are easy to notice. Their motor planning skills and sequences are impacted, too. However, it is essential to know that just like fine motor skills, even gross abilities can have a different impact. One might observe mild disturbances, while others can have major troubles.
Fortunately, there are great opportunities to rectify fine and gross motor skills in an individual with Autism. You can get in touch with us for our ABA therapy in Denver, Colorado. Let us move forward and walk you through ways we can help.
Causes of Challenges in Motor Skills Development
A delay in motor skills development can be seen in children with Autism. There can be several factors behind it, including differences in sensory processing and neurological issues. Let us learn about them here:
Sensory Processing Differences
Sensory processing differences or disorders define how one with Autism can receive, react, or process the sensory messages around them. These differences can result in issues with motor skills development. That is because of the way a brain receives and reacts to sensory messages. These areas are essential for motor coordination and control.
Neurological Challenges
The delay in motor skill development can result from neurological challenges. This happens due to disbalances in brain structure and connectivity, especially in areas that can affect movement and motor control. Neurological differences can be observed in areas like balance, motor planning, and coordination.
Early Intervention in Children With Autism
A parent or caregiver must look out for signs of developmental delays in a child's motor skills. The common manifestations can include troubles with balance, expressive movements, motor planning, and coordination. These signs can be observed in basic and daily activities like catching a ball, tying shoelaces, etc. One might also notice low muscle tone, clumsy movements, difficulties in managing simple tasks, or issues with coordination and posture. Once observed, you can commence early intervention and support motor skills development in your child.
Early intervention, as the term speaks, can be commenced as soon as possible, preferably before age 3. It includes behavior therapists performing different therapies to address and resolve the delays in a child's skills. Early intervention plays a major role, as a child’s brain is at its initial developmental stage, making it easier to reinforce. As a result, it is more likely to accept changes than it would have in later ages.
You can count on applied behavior analysis to improve motor skill development. ABA therapy services are centered on an individualistic approach. Behavior therapists emphasize long-term goals for every child and divide them into easy-to-perform coordinated activities. The whole point of following an individualistic approach is the belief that every child is different, and so are their symptoms and possible solutions.
Conclusion
In this post, we delved into a deep conversation on Autism spectrum disorder and the delay in the development of motor skills. On recalling everything observed here, we can conclude that Autism can affect an individual's development of fine and gross motor skills. Fine motor skills can be used to define activities as minor as buttoning shirts or writing. Gross motor skills are larger movements such as walking, climbing, and jumping. These developmental delays can result from differences in sensory processing or neurological challenges.
Fortunately, there is a way out, and you can help your child with the delay in motor development through early intervention. As the brain of the child is at the development stage, at an age before 3 years, it is easy to mold their behavior at that age group.
Let us talk about how we can help your child’s motor skills development. At BehaviorSpan, we boast a team of behavior analysts and registered technicians offering ABA behavior therapy in Denver. With early intervention and an individualistic approach, we focus on identifying the areas where we can assist a child. We offer tailored solutions to bring reinforcements in their behavior. Our strategies focus on emphasizing motor, play, and social skills. We also focus on their cognition, communication, and emotional management. We believe in intensive training to leverage every productive hour of the day toward your child’s development. Besides, we follow a one-to-one approach to ensure every child gets specialized care and thrives.
Reach out with your inquiries for ABA therapy services today.
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