Impairments in the sense of self in children with autism spectrum disorder.

This study looked at how children with autism experience their sense of self - how they feel about their body and identity. Researchers found that autistic children had more difficulties with self-awareness compared to other children. They also had differences in how they process sensory information and showed less accurate movements when they couldn't see what they were doing. The study suggests that autistic children may have a more fragmented sense of self, which could affect their daily functioning.

This study examined the embodied sense of self in 22 children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) compared to 25 typically developing children. Researchers assessed self-awareness using the Embodied Sense of Self Scale, sensory processing with the Sensory Profile, and motor skills through a visually guided reaching task. Children with ASD showed significantly greater difficulties across all aspects of embodied self-awareness (agency, ownership, and narrative self) compared to typically developing peers. They also demonstrated atypical sensory processing patterns and greater motor errors when visual feedback was removed.

Notably, typically developing children showed integrated self-awareness across domains, while children with ASD exhibited a more fragmented self-concept with limited correlations between self-awareness components.

Findings suggest interventions targeting sensory modulation and self-integration may improve outcomes for children with ASD. The fragmented nature of self-awareness in autism indicates need for comprehensive approaches addressing multiple domains simultaneously rather than isolated skill training. Further validation of child-appropriate self-awareness measures is needed.

Small sample size (22 ASD participants) limits generalizability. Cross-sectional design prevents understanding of developmental changes. Study type not specified, and lack of detailed methodology information in abstract limits assessment of study quality and potential confounding factors.

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a neurodevelopmental condition involving social-communication difficulties and restricted, repetitive behaviors. Beyond these features, children with ASD often experience atypical sensory processing and motor coordination challenges. These sensorimotor differences may disrupt the embodied sense of self-the experience of agency, ownership, and narrative identity. Few studies have examined how these factors interact in children.

Clarifying this relationship may inform interventions aimed at improving self-awareness and daily functioning. We assessed 22 children with ASD and 25 typically developing (TD) children using three measures: the Embodied Sense of Self Scale (ESSS), evaluating Agency, Ownership, and Narrative Self; the Sensory Profile (SP), assessing sensory processing patterns; and a visually guided reaching task measuring motor accuracy with and without visual feedback. Group differences and correlations among these measures were analyzed to explore associations between sensory, motor, and self-related functions. Children with ASD scored significantly higher on all ESSS subscales, indicating greater difficulties in embodied self-awareness.

They also showed elevated SP scores and greater reaching errors in the absence of visual feedback. In TD children, ESSS subscales showed large intercorrelations (r > 0.55), suggesting integrated self-awareness. In contrast, children with ASD showed only one large correlation between Ownership and Narrative Self (r = 0.57), indicating a fragmented self-concept. Children with ASD exhibit distinct patterns of sensorimotor processing and self-representation compared to TD peers.

Interventions that target sensory modulation and self-integration may improve outcomes. Further research is needed to validate child-appropriate self-awareness measures and examine developmental changes over time.