# Improvement of motor disorders and autistic symptomatology by an approach centered on the body axis: a two-case report

## TL;DR

This study shows that targeting body posture and motor skills in children with autism can improve both motor and social abilities.

## Contribution

The paper introduces a novel therapeutic approach focusing on body axis and motor organization to improve autism symptoms.

## Key findings

- Interventions targeting body posture led to improvements in motor skills and communication.
- CARS scores decreased significantly in both children over the follow-up period.
- Improvements in motor organization were synchronous with gains in social interaction skills.

## Abstract

Motor dysfunction is commonly associated with autism spectrum disorders (ASD). However, even if it may represent an intrinsic dimension of ASD it is not thought of as a relevant therapeutic target. Here we describe the postural, motor, and autistic characteristics of two children with ASD, a girl aged 3 years and 9 months and a boy aged 4 years and 7 months at enrollment, and their evolution over 20 or 23 months in response to interventions targeting these postural characteristics. Both met DSM-5 diagnosis critera for ASD. In both cases, asymmetric postures, twisting around the longitudinal axis, and underuse of the hands, particularly the thumbs, were observed. The children were repeatedly encouraged to engage in motor experiences involving their spatial cues and body axes and to correct their postures. We assessed more than fifty items describing motor particularities, communication, and social interactions. We observed a progressive and synchronous improvement in most of the items. In particular, communication and interaction skills improved in a similar way to motor skills. CARS scores also improved from 36 at initial assessment to 26 at the end of the follow-up for the boy and from 39.5 to 30 for the girl. These results suggest that motor dysfunction is an intrinsic dimension of autism and that interventions aimed at improving motor organization around a “body axis” could benefit children with ASD.