Autism Research最新文献

{"title":"Introduction to the Special Section on the Genetics of Autism","authors":"Genevieve Konopka","doi":"10.1002/aur.70064","DOIUrl":"10.1002/aur.70064","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Genetic contributions to the etiology of autism have long been recognized in autism research. However, many aspects of how genetic and genomic factors influence the development and progression of autism remain poorly understood and require further investigation. A wide range of approaches can be employed in this pursuit, including studies of human cohorts, model systems, and detailed mechanistic research at both cellular and organismal levels. To broaden the scope of studies published in <i>Autism Research</i> related to the genetics of autism, we issued a call for manuscripts to be included in a special issue. Here, we present six comprehensive studies that utilize diverse approaches to investigate the genetic mechanisms underlying autism. Two of these studies (Arutiunian et al. <span>2025</span>; Hudac et al. <span>2025</span>) focused primarily on human subjects. One of them (Hudac et al. <span>2025</span>) examined visual and auditory attention in autistic individuals with monogenic forms of autism—carrying variants in either <i>DYRK1A</i> or <i>SCN2A</i>—using eye tracking and electroencephalography (EEG). They found distinct behavioral outcomes depending on the specific genetic variant. The other study (Arutiunian et al. <span>2025</span>) investigated a separate cohort of autistic individuals with a particular single nucleotide polymorphism in <i>CNTNAP2</i>, identifying an association with language impairments. Three manuscripts (He et al. <span>2025</span>; Nishizaki et al. <span>2025</span>; Rojas et al. <span>2025</span>) combined research in both human subjects and model systems. One study (He et al. <span>2025</span>) discovered novel de novo variants in <i>NAA15</i> associated with autism and conducted detailed studies in loss-of-function mouse models, revealing a role for NAA15 in early brain development. Another study (Nishizaki et al. <span>2025</span>) identified new genes associated with autism spectrum disorder with disproportionate megalencephaly (ASD-DM) in human cohorts and explored the function of one of these genes, <i>YTHDF2</i>, in zebrafish models. Their findings showed changes in brain size and gene expression patterns consistent with the observed phenotypes. The third manuscript (Rojas et al. <span>2025</span>) reported altered levels of mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) in individuals with autism and used cell lines to investigate the role of specific genes involved in mtDNA replication, although no direct correlation was found between gene expression and mtDNA levels. Finally, one other report (Co et al. <span>2025</span>) characterized the functional implications of a specific mouse genetic tool related to the high-confidence autism gene <i>TBR1</i>. They found that this mouse line, while originally designed for another purpose, inadvertently provides a valuable model for studying <i>TBR1</i> dosage effects on brain development. Collectively, these studies highlight the diverse genetic approaches being used to advance ","PeriodicalId":131,"journal":{"name":"Autism Research","volume":"18 5","pages":"896-897"},"PeriodicalIF":5.3,"publicationDate":"2025-05-22","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1002/aur.70064","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144129656","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Sex-Based Differences in Prenatal and Perinatal Predictors of Autism Spectrum Disorder Using Machine Learning With National Health Data","authors":"Ju Sun Heo,&nbsp;Seung-Woo Yang,&nbsp;Sohee Lee,&nbsp;Kwang-Sig Lee,&nbsp;Ki Hoon Ahn","doi":"10.1002/aur.70054","DOIUrl":"10.1002/aur.70054","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a complex neurodevelopmental disorder influenced by genetic, epigenetic, and environmental factors. ASD is characterized by a higher prevalence in males compared to females, highlighting the potential role of sex-specific risk factors in its development. This study aimed to develop sex-specific prenatal and perinatal prediction models for ASD using machine learning and a national population database. A retrospective cohort design was employed, utilizing data from the Korea National Health Insurance Service claims database. The study included 75,105 children born as singletons in 2007 and their mothers, with follow-up data from 2007 to 2021. Twenty prenatal and perinatal risk factors from 2002 to 2007 were analyzed. Random forest models were used to predict ASD, with performance metrics including accuracy and area under the curve (AUC). Random forest variable importance and SHapley Additive exPlanation (SHAP) values were used to identify major predictors and analyze associations. The random forest models achieved high accuracy (0.996) and AUC (0.997) for the total population as well as for the male and female groups. Major predictors included pregestational body mass index (BMI) (0.3679), socioeconomic status (0.2164), maternal age at birth (0.1735), sex (0.0682), and delivery institution (0.0549). SHAP analysis showed that low maternal BMI increased ASD risk in both sexes, while high BMI was associated with greater risk in females. A U-shaped relationship between socioeconomic status and ASD risk was observed, with increased risk in males from lower socioeconomic backgrounds and females from higher ones. These findings highlight the importance of sex-specific risk factors, particularly pregestational BMI, and socioeconomic status, in predicting ASD risk.</p>","PeriodicalId":131,"journal":{"name":"Autism Research","volume":"18 7","pages":"1330-1341"},"PeriodicalIF":5.3,"publicationDate":"2025-05-19","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1002/aur.70054","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144095978","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Identifying and Addressing the Missing Links Between Research, Policy, and Practice in Autism Research: Lessons From Early Autism Screening and Intervention Research","authors":"Giacomo Vivanti,&nbsp;Anne M. Roux,&nbsp;Diana L. Robins,&nbsp;Andrea Trubanova Wieckowski,&nbsp;Allison S. Nahmais,&nbsp;Kaitlin Koffer Miller,&nbsp;Lindsay L. Shea","doi":"10.1002/aur.70055","DOIUrl":"10.1002/aur.70055","url":null,"abstract":"<div>\u0000 \u0000 <p>The evidence base on autism diagnosis and intervention has grown exponentially in the past two decades, but there continue to be gaps in the path connecting research, policy, and practice. For example, although standardized autism screening tools have been shown to be helpful for identifying early signs of autism and facilitating early diagnosis, many pediatricians in the United States do not use them as recommended. Similarly, despite the sound evidence supporting Naturalistic Developmental Behavioral Interventions, they are seldom used in early intervention practice. This commentary examines the nature of these gaps using the Exploration, Preparation, Implementation, Sustainment (EPIS) framework, with a focus on the role of “big P” policies, which include legislation and agency regulations, and “little p” policies, which include guidelines set by professional organizations. Efforts to bridge the gap between research and practice through policy offer the potential for improving the lives of those on the autism spectrum through early detection and intervention programs and beyond.</p>\u0000 </div>","PeriodicalId":131,"journal":{"name":"Autism Research","volume":"18 6","pages":"1146-1155"},"PeriodicalIF":5.3,"publicationDate":"2025-05-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144082395","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Limited Effect of Masking During COVID-19 Pandemic on ADOS-2 Algorithm Scores in Toddlers With and Without Autism","authors":"Vernetti Angelina,&nbsp;Morgan Chelsea,&nbsp;Powell Kelly,&nbsp;Macari Suzanne,&nbsp;Chawarska Katarzyna","doi":"10.1002/aur.70050","DOIUrl":"10.1002/aur.70050","url":null,"abstract":"<div>\u0000 \u0000 <p>The Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule, Second Edition (ADOS-2) constitutes one of the most widely used diagnostic instruments for autism and involves a direct face-to-face interaction between clinician and child. During the COVID-19 pandemic, administration of the ADOS-2 continued in several countries, with the requirement of face mask protection. It has been hypothesized that mask wearing may have disrupted the dynamic of child-clinician interaction and differentially affected toddlers with autism. We compared ADOS-2 algorithm scores between cohorts of toddlers evaluated before (pre-COVID-19, <i>n</i> = 232) and during the pandemic (COVID-19, <i>n</i> = 116). The COVID-19 cohort included 41 toddlers with autism spectrum disorders (AUT, Mage = 25.4, SD = 3.8), 34 toddlers with other neurodevelopmental conditions (NDC, Mage = 22.3, SD = 5.0), and 41 typically developing toddlers (TD, Mage = 20.4, SD = 3.6) recruited between September 2020 and April 2023. The pre-COVID-19 cohort was selected from 409 assessments conducted from January 2013 to March 2020. Propensity matching was used to match the pre- and COVID-19 cohorts on sex, chronological age, and verbal and nonverbal developmental quotient (DQ) scores. Ordered logistic regression analyses were computed for social affect (SA) and restricted and repetitive behaviors (RRB) algorithm total and item scores, with cohort (pre-COVID-19/COVID-19) as a fixed factor for each diagnostic group. The analyses revealed a limited impact of cohort on the algorithm scores in all three diagnostic groups. Item-level analysis revealed a significant cohort effect only on two out of 20 items: shared enjoyment and joint attention, with higher (more atypical) scores found in the COVID-19 than in the pre-COVID-19 cohorts. The resiliency of the algorithm and item-level scores to the effect of masking speaks to the strength of the diagnostic tool and its ability to capture a range of social, communication, and repetitive behaviors under both standard and nonstandard conditions.</p>\u0000 </div>","PeriodicalId":131,"journal":{"name":"Autism Research","volume":"18 6","pages":"1279-1289"},"PeriodicalIF":5.3,"publicationDate":"2025-05-12","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144059767","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Assessing the Validity and Reliability of the Chinese Vineland Adaptive Behavior Scales for Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder Aged 1–6","authors":"Lin Deng,&nbsp;Mingyu Xu,&nbsp;Yubin Hu,&nbsp;Yuqi Liu,&nbsp;Zilin Chen,&nbsp;Hangyu Tan,&nbsp;Wenchong Du,&nbsp;Yaqiong Xiao,&nbsp;Fei Li","doi":"10.1002/aur.70045","DOIUrl":"10.1002/aur.70045","url":null,"abstract":"<div>\u0000 \u0000 <p>The Vineland Adaptive Behavior Scales (VABS), a widely used assessment tool for assessing developmental profiles of children, has been adapted to various cultural contexts with proven efficacy. This study evaluated the applicability and efficacy of the Chinese Vineland Adaptive Behavior Scales (CVABS-III) in assessing children with different developmental profiles within the context of Chinese culture. The VABS items were meticulously translated and modified to reflect cultural relevancy. We assessed 2118 Chinese preschoolers aged 1–6 years, including those with typical development (TD; <i>n</i> = 943), and various clinical subgroups including autism spectrum disorder (ASD; <i>n</i> = 449), developmental delay (DD; <i>n</i> = 477), and speech and language developmental delay (SLDD; <i>n</i> = 249). Internal reliability, construct validity, and discriminant validity with the Gesell Developmental Schedules were assessed. The CVABS-III demonstrated excellent internal consistency and construct validity. It effectively distinguished between TD children and those with ASD, DD, or SLDD. It also showed progressively stronger correlations with the Gesell Developmental Schedules especially in children aged 3–6 years. These findings confirm that the CVABS-III retains the robust psychometric properties of its original VABS while being suitably adapted for the Chinese context. This adaptation enhances the scale's utility for early identification and intervention in developmental delays within diverse Chinese populations. Future research might explore further refinement to improve its applicability across all ages and developmental conditions.</p>\u0000 </div>","PeriodicalId":131,"journal":{"name":"Autism Research","volume":"18 7","pages":"1412-1430"},"PeriodicalIF":5.3,"publicationDate":"2025-05-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144059133","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Effective Autism Classification Through Grasping Kinematics","authors":"Erez Freud,&nbsp;Zoha Ahmad,&nbsp;Eitan Shelef,&nbsp;Bat Sheva Hadad","doi":"10.1002/aur.70049","DOIUrl":"10.1002/aur.70049","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Autism is a complex neurodevelopmental condition, where motor abnormalities play a central role alongside social and communication difficulties. These motor symptoms often manifest in early childhood, making them critical targets for early diagnosis and intervention. This study aimed to assess whether kinematic features from a naturalistic grasping task could accurately distinguish autistic participants from non-autistic ones. We analyzed grasping movements of autistic and non-autistic young adults, tracking two markers placed on the thumb and index finger. Using a subject-wise cross-validated classifiers, we achieved accuracy scores of above 84%. Receiver operating characteristic analysis revealed strong classification performance with area under the curve values of above 0.95 at the subject-wise analysis and above 0.85 at the trial-wise analysis. These findings indicate strong reliability in accurately distinguishing autistic participants from non-autistic ones. These findings suggest that subtle motor control differences can be effectively captured, offering a promising approach for developing accessible and reliable diagnostic tools for autism.</p>","PeriodicalId":131,"journal":{"name":"Autism Research","volume":"18 6","pages":"1170-1181"},"PeriodicalIF":5.3,"publicationDate":"2025-05-05","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1002/aur.70049","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144035721","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Mechanisms of Altered Imitation in Autism Spectrum Disorders","authors":"Sean McWeeny,&nbsp;Ata Kolday,&nbsp;Ericka L. Wodka,&nbsp;Stewart H. Mostofsky,&nbsp;Brian S. Caffo,&nbsp;Joshua B. Ewen","doi":"10.1002/aur.70046","DOIUrl":"10.1002/aur.70046","url":null,"abstract":"<div>\u0000 \u0000 <p>Imitation plays a critical role in enhancing social reciprocity and social/non-social skill learning. Accordingly, impaired imitation may have downstream implications on skill acquisition in autism. Social, motor, representational, and executive processes contribute to imitation performance, but it is unknown the degree to which differences in these domains contribute to imitation differences in autism. In the present study, we evaluated the role of various psychological mechanisms of autism-related imitation differences using mediation models. We assessed autistic and non-autistic 7–12-year-old children (<i>n</i> = 708) with FSIQ ≥ 80, using a wide battery of performance-based and parent-report tests that measured meaningful and non-meaningful gesture imitation performance, motor execution, action representation, social motivation, and executive function processes. Multiple marginal mediation analyses revealed that motor execution tests most strongly mediated imitation deficits in autism, though effects from social motivation, action representation, and executive function also partially mediated the relationship between autism diagnosis and imitation performance. Using cross-validated regression models, the domains tested here accounted for 39% of the variation in imitation performance. Results are contextualized across a broad range of experimental and observational studies with respect to the prompted imitation task utilized here. Future research will require longitudinal data, particularly from earlier stages of development.</p>\u0000 </div>","PeriodicalId":131,"journal":{"name":"Autism Research","volume":"18 7","pages":"1397-1411"},"PeriodicalIF":5.3,"publicationDate":"2025-05-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144054248","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Infant Achievements Intervention Improves Caregiver Implementation Fidelity and Infant Social Communication Outcomes: A Preliminary Randomized Clinical Trial","authors":"Rebecca J. Landa,&nbsp;Rachel Reetzke,&nbsp;Christine Reiner Hess","doi":"10.1002/aur.70051","DOIUrl":"10.1002/aur.70051","url":null,"abstract":"<div>\u0000 \u0000 <p>Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) focused on idiopathic social communication delay (SCD) in the first year of life are rare. We preliminarily tested the efficacy of an 8-week caregiver-implemented intervention for infants with idiopathic SCD. Infants (8–12 months) with SCD were block-randomized with caregivers to the Infant Achievements (IA) (<i>n</i> = 18) or Caregiver Education (CE) (<i>n</i> = 20) group in this assessor-masked RCT. Assessments were completed at baseline, post-intervention, and 8-week follow-up. IA caregivers received reflective, home-based coaching to implement naturalistic developmental behavioral intervention (NDBI) strategies. Primary outcomes: masked ratings of caregiver implementation fidelity, frequency of infant initiation of joint attention (IJA), and percent of coordination of joint engagement (CJE). Secondary outcomes: masked researcher-administered and scored Mullen Scales of Early Learning (MSEL) language and Visual Reception scaled scores; nonmasked caregiver-reported Communication and Symbolic Behavior Scales Caregiver Questionnaire (CSBS CQ) Social, Speech, and Symbolic composite scores and McArthur-Bates Communication Development Inventories Words Understood and Produced scores. Prespecified analyses followed an intent-to-treat approach using Generalized Linear Mixed Models for non-normally distributed outcomes and linear mixed-effects models for those with normal distributions. Significant group by time effects favored the IA group relative to the CE group on all primary outcomes at post-intervention (<i>p</i>'s ≤ 0.001), and for caregiver fidelity and IJA, at follow-up (≤ 0.03). Significant IA intervention effects were detected on secondary outcomes of nonverbal cognition (MSEL Visual Reception) and CSBS CQ Speech composite at post-intervention (&lt; 0.01) and follow-up (≤ 0.02). IA equips caregivers to learn and generalize the implementation of child-responsive NDBI strategies and propels pre-linguistic social communication advances in SCD infants.</p>\u0000 <p>\u0000 <b>Trial Registration:</b> ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT03404505.</p>\u0000 </div>","PeriodicalId":131,"journal":{"name":"Autism Research","volume":"18 5","pages":"1104-1116"},"PeriodicalIF":5.3,"publicationDate":"2025-05-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144012134","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Relationship Between Antipsychotic Use and Cholesterol Levels in a Retrospective Chart Review of an Adult Autism Clinic Patient Population","authors":"Gregory Cejas,&nbsp;Alisha J. Steigerwald,&nbsp;Malori Chrisman,&nbsp;Tanvi Yadlapalli,&nbsp;David Q. Beversdorf","doi":"10.1002/aur.70047","DOIUrl":"10.1002/aur.70047","url":null,"abstract":"<div>\u0000 \u0000 <p>Individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) experience a high prevalence of metabolic and gastrointestinal (GI) comorbidities. Antipsychotics are commonly prescribed for adults with ASD. Our study investigated the effect of antipsychotic medication on metabolic and GI comorbidities, as well as effects across age, in an adult ASD population. We retrospectively analyzed 279 charts from patients with ASD, ages 16–62 (mean = 27.97, SD = 8.89, 18.3% female). Data abstracted included demographic information, medications taken, GI and metabolic comorbidities, and recent values for body mass index (BMI), triglycerides, and total cholesterol. Participants were separated into two groups based on antipsychotic use. Between-group differences were calculated for the prevalence of GI comorbidities and mean values for BMI, triglycerides, and total cholesterol. Lastly, binary correlations were calculated for age and total cholesterol as well as triglycerides, and age and BMI. No significant difference was found between the prevalence of GI comorbidities for the two groups. For metabolic factors, no significant difference was found in the mean BMI, triglycerides, or total cholesterol. Binary correlation analysis also revealed no significant correlation between age and BMI or triglycerides for patients in either group. A significant correlation was found between age and total cholesterol for patients both taking and not taking antipsychotics. Despite approximately one in three patients in this study taking an antipsychotic medication, no significant differences in GI or metabolic comorbidities were found. However, cholesterol increased with age regardless of the presence or absence of antipsychotics. Future research is needed to better understand the long-term effects of antipsychotics on adults with ASD and metabolic monitoring in those not on antipsychotics.</p>\u0000 </div>","PeriodicalId":131,"journal":{"name":"Autism Research","volume":"18 6","pages":"1187-1194"},"PeriodicalIF":5.3,"publicationDate":"2025-04-29","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144053689","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"The Intersection of Variability in Gross Motor Performance and Adaptive Behavior in Young Autistic Children: Combining Video Data Analysis and Standardized Assessments","authors":"Maria J. Ayoub,&nbsp;Laura Keegan,&nbsp;Michele Z. Luo,&nbsp;Helen Tager-Flusberg,&nbsp;Karen Chenausky,&nbsp;Marc F. Maffei,&nbsp;Jordan R. Green,&nbsp;Simone V. Gill","doi":"10.1002/aur.70048","DOIUrl":"10.1002/aur.70048","url":null,"abstract":"<div>\u0000 \u0000 <p>Autism research has shown relationships between motor skills and other developmental domains. However, little research has examined variability in gross motor performance and its potential relation to adaptive behavior in this population. The purpose of this study was to use task-based measures of gross motor performance to quantify variability and to determine if gross motor variability was associated with adaptive behavior. We collected video data of autistic children aged 4–7 years (<i>N</i> = 71) performing two task-based measures of gross motor performance: walking over flat ground and balancing on one leg. We also computed walking behaviors: behaviors exhibited by children during walking (e.g., jumping). We used the Vineland Adaptive Behavior Scale Adaptive Behavior Composite (VABS-ABC) to measure adaptive behavior. Results showed high intra-subject variability during walking skill, walking behaviors, and balance performance. Less variable walking velocity was correlated with higher adaptive behavior scores. In contrast, less variability in walking behaviors was correlated with lower adaptive behavior scores. These results highlight that variability in gross motor performance may be a feature of ASD and examining gross motor variability in relation to other developmental domains (e.g., adaptive behavior) may provide a more comprehensive understanding of autism.</p>\u0000 </div>","PeriodicalId":131,"journal":{"name":"Autism Research","volume":"18 6","pages":"1269-1278"},"PeriodicalIF":5.3,"publicationDate":"2025-04-28","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144029212","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}