The Impairment of Symbolic Semantic Functions in Autistic Adolescents

Abstract

In autism, motor impairments are extremely common and often herald the emergence of ubiquitous atypical development. Few studies so far have explored the autistic motor difficulties. Our work aims to investigate the level motor management of adolescents with autism spectrum disorder, compared to typically developing children. The motor management was realized, in different imitative conditions. We assume that pragmatic sensorimotor management would be functional both in adolescent with autistic spectrum disorder and typical children. However, if high-level cognitive semantic management is gradually acquired in the typical children, it would be deficient in the adolescents with autism spectrum disorder. Our results confirm and justify the selective impairment of symbolic semantic functions of the motor achievements of atypical with autism spectrum disorder.