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Introduction: Impaired motor functioning is a common characteristic of individuals with autism spectrum condition (ASC). Despite high prevalence, longstanding recognition, and association with core symptom severity, the neural underpinnings of motor difficulties remain inadequately investigated, particularly regarding complex and object-directed movements.

Patients and Methods: In this functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) study, we investigated ASC(n = 21; M = 26.0 years) and neurotypical([NT]; n = 28; M = 27.5 years) adults while planning to execute, and while executing, a sequential manual task with demands on object rotation. The analyses were confined to a mask comprising five motor-parietal and nine cerebellar regions of interest in the hemisphere contralateral to the executing hand.

Results: A conjunction analysis of the respective planning and execution events revealed significant shared activation in the inferior parietal lobe (IPL) for the ASC group, whereas the NT group showed more sizeable overlapping activation in two posterior cerebellar regions and IPL. When comparing the planning and execution events separately betweenthe groups, the ASC group exhibited lower activation of IPL and precentral gyrus during planning, and higher activation of posterior cerebellum during execution, compared to the NT group.

Conclusion: These novel findings indicate differential brain activation between ASC and NT adults during planning and execution of complex sequential manual actions, potentially reflecting processing differences in motor automatization and integration of prior experience. These results contribute to advancing the understanding of atypical motor performance in ASC.

Introduction: Motor difficulties are frequent in autistic children and associated with diverse social behavior, possibly due to atypical neural processing subserving internal action models. This systematic review synthesizes results from current functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) research of brain activation during execution, imitation and observation of naturalistic actions in autistic children and adolescents (<18 years).

Methods: Peer-reviewed articles in English published between 2000 and 2025 reporting task-related fMRI in diagnosed autistic vs. typically developing youth (<18 years) were evaluated. Eight studies (with a total of 129 autistic and 128 typically developing participants) were identified, divided into action execution (n = 1), observation (n = 4), and imitation (n = 3).

Results: Between-group differences included reduced cerebellar activations for execution in autistic children; higher activity in left-lateralized motor processing regions for imitation; and lower activity in temporoparietal, posterior cingulate and anterior prefrontal cortex for observation.

Discussion: Findings suggest that atypical brain activation during action execution, observation and imitation in autistic youth is frequent and largely support the notion of aberrant formation and use of motor representations in autism development. Although, due to the limited number of studies, small samples, variability in fMRI pipelines, and task specific nature of the results, interpretations require caution and further investigations are warranted.

Sequential manual actions involving object manipulation, whether performed ourselves or observed in others, are a fundamental part of our daily lives. Motor representations within internal action models have been linked to both action execution and observation, but it is less clear how brain activity associated with planning, execution and observation of complex sequential actions differs and overlap. Here, using event-related fMRI, we examined brain activity during sequential manual action in planning, execution and observation in a sample of healthy adults (N = 28). Comparing actions under different task complexity (complex, rotation > baseline, no rotation), we found increased activation in parietal, precentral and sensory-motor regions during action execution planning. Execution of complex actions engaged ipsilateral parieto-frontal regions, while observation activated parietal regions. Planning to observe complex actions engaged occipito-parietal, precentral and cerebellar regions. Importantly, across all four conditions, we found a significant overlap in brain activity in the bilateral intraparietal sulcus. This suggests that the inferior parietal lobe is an important node for complex sequential manual actions.

Motor impairments are common in individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) although less is known about the neural mechanisms related to such difficulties. This review provides an outline of functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) findings associated with execution and observation of naturalistic actions in autistic adults. Summarized outcomes revealed that adults with ASD recruit similar brain regions as neurotypical adults during action execution and during action observation, although with a difference in direction and/or magnitude. For action execution, this included higher and lower activity bilaterally in the precentral cortex, the parietal cortex, the inferior frontal gyrus (IFG), the middle temporal gyrus (MTG), the occipital cortex, and the cerebellum. For action observation, differences mainly concerned both higher and lower activity in bilateral IFG and right precentral gyrus, and lower activity in MTG. Activity overlaps between action execution and observation highlight atypical recruitment of IFG, MTG, precentral, and parieto-occipital regions in ASD. The results show atypical recruitment of brain regions subserving motor planning and/or predictive control in ASD. Atypical brain activations during action observation, and the pattern of activity overlaps, indicate an association with difficulties in understanding others' actions and intentions.

Sensorimotor difficulties are common in children with autism spectrum disorder, and it has been suggested that motor planning problems underlie their atypical movements. At early school-age, motor planning development typically involves changes in visuomotor integration, a function known to be affected in autism spectrum disorder. However, there is a lack of detailed characterization of typical motor planning development during this stage, and how motor planning develops in children with autism spectrum disorder is largely unknown. This longitudinal kinematic study examined goal-directed sequential manual movements in children with autism spectrum disorder and in typically developing children across ages 7, 8, and 9 years. We manipulated goal-difficulty and availability of initial visual information to investigate visuomotor integration and chaining of subparts during movement performance. The results revealed emerging group differences at older age, suggesting atypical motor planning development in children with autism spectrum disorder. Notably, unlike the typically developing group, availability of initial visual information did not facilitate motor planning for the autism spectrum disorder group. The results show that motor planning differences in autism spectrum disorder appear related to atypical visuomotor integration and global processing of sensorimotor information. The findings also emphasize the importance of considering developmental aspects in research and practice related to motor problems in children with autism spectrum disorder.

Motor issues are frequently observed accompanying core deficits in autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Impaired motor behavior has also been linked to cognitive and social abnormalities, and problems with predictive ability have been suggested to play an important, possibly shared, part across all these domains. Brain imaging of sensory-motor behavior is a promising method for characterizing the neurobiological foundation for this proposed key trait. The present functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) developmental study, involving children/youth with ASD, typically developing (TD) children/youth, and neurotypical adults, will investigate brain activations during execution and observation of a visually guided, goal-directed sequential (two-step) manual task. Neural processing related to both execution and observation of the task, as well as activation patterns during the preparation stage before execution/observation will be investigated. Main regions of interest include frontoparietal and occipitotemporal cortical areas, the human mirror neuron system (MNS), and the cerebellum.

Introduction: Children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) frequently display atypical motor functioning. This longitudinal study investigated atypical visuomotor integration in the development of action planning as one possible source.

Participants and Methods: Fourteen children with ASD and 17 typically developing (TD) controls participated three times over the ages 7 (T1) to 9 (T3) years. 3D kinematic registrations were made during performance of a manual sequential peg-rotation task with either visible or occluded goal-display condition before onset. Time, condition, and group differences were analyzed on onset-latency, part peak velocity in reach-to-grasp (PPV-RtG), remaining angle of peg-rotation at goal (p-RA), and fitting-duration.

Results: Time-point generated significant (p < 0.05) main effects for all variables. Stratifying by condition revealed shorter latency (both groups), higher PPV-RtG (visual-condition TD-group), lower p-RA (visual-condition TD-group; occluded-condition ASD-group), and shorter fitting-duration (visual-condition TD-group; occluded-condition both groups) with increasing age. Group generated significant main effects for fitting-duration. Stratifying by condition revealed longer fitting-durations (both conditions), and increased p-RA (occluded-condition at T1; visible-condition at T3) in the ASD-group. Condition generated significant main effects for all variables except fitting-duration. Stratifying by group revealed shorter latency (both groups), higher PPV-RtG (TD-group at T3), and reduced p-RA (TD-group at T3) in the visual-condition.

Conclusions: The results show different sensory-motor integration in the children with ASD, characterized by not benefitting from pre-existing visual information in action planning in accordance with their TD peers, particularly evident at 9 years. Our findings, based on longitudinal data, support suggestions that visuomotor integration underpinning action planning may operate differently in ASD.

Introduction: Motor planning deviances may negatively affect interpersonal motor interactions in ASD, although detailed studies are sparse. This study examined motor planning kinematics in an interpersonal and non-interpersonal context in 9-year-old children with ASD and neurotypical peers.

Patients and methods: Twelve children with ASD and 17 controls performed two different sequential manual tasks (preferred hand): grasping and placing a peg on a wooden disc (non-interpersonal) or in the hand of an examiner (interpersonal). Three-dimensional kinematic recordings of arm/hand movements were performed. Group and task differences were explored for total movement duration (MD), and for peak velocity (PV) and placement of peak velocity (PPV) during reach-to-grasp and transport-to-place movements, respectively.

Results: Task differences were found in terms of longer MD and higher transport-to-place-PV in the disc- compared to hand-task. An interaction effect was evident for reach-to-grasp-PPV, where the control-group, but not ASD, had earlier reach-to-grasp-PPV and longer relative deceleration in the hand-task compared to the disc-task.

Conclusion: Results show that the interpersonal context influenced initial reach-to-grasp motor planning in the control-group, but not the ASD-group. Later in the sequential movement (transport-to-place), the interpersonal context seemed to influence motor planning independent of group. Taken together, this indicates support towards a more careful peg-placing in the interpersonal hand-task in the control-group but much less clearly so in the ASD-group.

Relevance for users and families: Atypical motor planning may influence motor interaction with peers. Investigations of motor planning and movement organization in ASD could thus inform interventions also targeting interpersonal exchange.

Introduction: Knowledge is lacking concerning long-term influences of preterm birth on action-cognition integrations related to corpus callosum (CC) maturation/myelination. Here, we investigate long-term-effects of preterm-birth on CC microstructures/organization in relation to cognition and functional-laterality.

Patients and methods: The sample included 82 children, 41 term-born (M-age=8.1y), and 41 preterm-born (M-age=8.2y); subdivided into V-PT, (GA=25–32w, N=23), and M-PT, (GA=33–35w, N=18), without major brain-deficits. DTI performed in 3T-MRI-scanners, generated maps of CC Genu, Truncus, Splenium (FA, MD, AD, RD-values). Results from WISC-IV (verbal-comprehension-VCI, perceptual-reasoning-PRI, working-memory-WM, processing-speed-PS, FSIQ), and Laterality-index (hand-, foot-, eye-preference) were analyzed related to DTI-outcomes.

Results: Significant group difference found regarding CC-FA-values (F(2,79)=5,3527, p=.006), post-hoc-test showed that VPT differed from term (p=.015) and MPT-born (p=.016), by lower FA-Genu, Truncus, Splenium. This pattern also found for MD, RD, and AD-values. Positive-correlations (p<.01) found between GA and all CC-FA-values, and negatively for all MD, RD and AD-Splenium. VPT-born showed lower (p=.005) FSIQ (M=93) than term (M=103). Correlations (p<.05) found between WM and CC-FA-values in Genu for VPT-born, and between CC-FA-values in Genu, Truncus and PRI-index (p<.01) for term-born. VPT-born showed lower Hand- and overall-laterality-index than term and MPT, and no significant correlations between laterality-index and CC-values. Term and MPT-children showed positive correlations (p<.01) between decreasing overall-laterality-index and FA-values, and negative for MD-Splenum, RD-Splenium and RD-Truncus. 

Conclusion: DTI revealed evidence for long-term impact of very-premature birth on CC related to atypical hemispheric maturation and behavioral integrations compared to term-born controls. The findings highlight importance of including functional-laterality to models investigating brain white-matter-microstructures.

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a diagnosis based on social communication deficits and prevalence of repetitive stereotyped behaviors, but sensorimotor disturbances are commonly exhibited. This longitudinal study aimed at exploring the development of the ability to form mental motor representations (motor imagery; MI) in 14 children with ASD and 17 typically developing (TD) children at 7, 8 and 9 years of age. MI was investigated using a hand laterality paradigm from which response times (RT) and error rates were extracted and compared with performance on a visually based mental rotation task (VI). A criterion task was used to ensure that the children could perform the task. The results showed wide performance variability in the ASD group with more failures than TD in the MI criterion task, especially at 7 years. For all age levels and both the MI and VI tasks, the error rates were significantly higher and RTs longer for the ASD group compared with TD. Signs of MI strategies were however noted in the ASD group as biomechanically constrained orientations had longer RTs than less constrained orientations, a RT pattern that differed from the VI task. The presence of MI in the ASD group was most evident at 9 years, but the error rates remained high at all ages, both in the MI and VI task. In comparison, the TD group showed stable MI strategies at all ages. These findings indicate that MI ability is delayed and/or impaired in children with ASD which may be related to difficulties performing required mental rotations.