Community-based postural control assessment in autistic individuals indicates a similar but delayed trajectory compared to neurotypical individuals.

Researchers studied balance and posture in autistic children and teens compared to non-autistic peers. They tested 121 young people aged 7-20 years using balance tasks while standing still and reaching for targets. Both groups got better at balance as they got older, but autistic participants had more difficulty with balance and were less steady throughout all ages tested. This suggests autistic children develop balance skills in a similar pattern to other children, but may need extra support.

This research examined postural control development in autistic individuals compared to neurotypical peers across childhood and adolescence. Two studies assessed 48 autistic and 73 neurotypical participants aged 7-20 years using standardized clinical assessments. Study 1 measured postural stability during quiet standing under three visual conditions, while Study 2 evaluated dynamic postural control during a target-reaching task. Results showed both groups improved with age, but autistic participants consistently demonstrated greater postural sway variability and lower control efficiency across all ages.

The findings suggest autistic individuals follow a similar developmental trajectory for postural control as neurotypical individuals, but with consistently lower performance levels throughout development.

Findings support early and ongoing postural control interventions for autistic individuals. Clinicians should assess balance throughout development, not just in early childhood. The similar developmental trajectory suggests evidence-based balance interventions may be beneficial when appropriately adapted for autistic individuals' sensorimotor differences.

Study limitations include relatively small sample sizes (27-41 participants per group), cross-sectional design rather than longitudinal tracking, and focus on standardized laboratory assessments that may not reflect real-world postural challenges. Age range and developmental considerations may also limit generalizability.

Autistic individuals exhibit significant sensorimotor differences. Postural stability and control are foundational motor skills for successfully performing many activities of daily living. In neurotypical development, postural stability and control develop throughout childhood and adolescence. In autistic development, previous studies have focused primarily on individual age groups (e.g., childhood, adolescence, adulthood) or only controlled for age using age-matching.

Here, we examined the age trajectories of postural stability and control in autism from childhood through adolescents using standardized clinical assessments. In study 1, we tested the postural stability of autistic (n = 27) and neurotypical (n = 41) children, adolescents, and young adults aged 7-20 years during quiet standing on a force plate in three visual conditions: eyes open (EO), eyes closed (EC), and eyes open with the head in a translucent dome (Dome). Postural sway variability decreased as age increased for both groups, but autistic participants showed greater variability than neurotypical participants across age. In study 2, we tested autistic (n = 21) and neurotypical (n = 32) children and adolescents aged 7-16 years during a dynamic postural control task with nine targets.

Postural control efficiency increased as age increased for both groups, but autistic participants were less efficient compared to neurotypical participants across age. Together, these results indicate that autistic individuals have a similar age trajectory for postural stability and control compared to neurotypical individuals, but have lower postural stability and control overall.