Decreased central corpus callosum volume in autistic children is associated with repetitive behaviours and motor skills / Denis PERUZZO ; Filippo ARRIGONI ; Silvia BUSTI CECCARELLI ; Laura VILLA ; Elisa MANI ; Eleonora MAGGIONI ; Paolo BRAMBILLA ; Maria NOBILE ; Massimo MOLTENI ; Alessandro CRIPPA in Research in Autism, 125 (July 2025)  

Public ISBD [article]  inResearch in Autism > 125 (July 2025) . - p.202626 Titre : Decreased central corpus callosum volume in autistic children is associated with repetitive behaviours and motor skills Type de document : Texte imprimé et/ou numérique Auteurs : Denis PERUZZO, Auteur ; Filippo ARRIGONI, Auteur ; Silvia BUSTI CECCARELLI, Auteur ; Laura VILLA, Auteur ; Elisa MANI, Auteur ; Eleonora MAGGIONI, Auteur ; Paolo BRAMBILLA, Auteur ; Maria NOBILE, Auteur ; Massimo MOLTENI, Auteur ; Alessandro CRIPPA, Auteur Article en page(s) : p.202626 Langues : Anglais (eng) Mots-clés : Autism  Corpus callosum  Magnetic resonance imaging  Restricted repetitive behaviours  Motor skills Index. décimale : PER Périodiques Résumé : Introduction Along with the core characteristics of the condition, autistic individuals commonly experience motor coordination difficulties, potentially related to a reduced cortical connectivity. Being the largest human commissure, the corpus callosum (CC) plays an essential role in interhemispheric connectivity and has been often involved among autistic atypicalities. This study aimed to investigate the volumes of corpus callosum subregions in a group of drug-naïve, autistic children and to explore its possible associations with both core features and motor coordination skills. Methods Thirty-five autistic children (2.5-12 years) were compared with a group of 35 closely IQ-matched, non-autistic peers. CC was identified and segmented into five subregions using Freesurfer. Callosal volumes were compared between the two groups and correlated with parental ratings of core autistic features as assessed by the Social Responsiveness Scale and with motor features as assessed by the Developmental Coordination Disorder Questionnaire. Associations between CC volume and Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule scores were also explored in autistic participants. Results Autistic children showed a reduced volume of the central segment of the CC, in the context of a comparable CC total volume. This reduction appeared to be correlated with symptoms of restricted and repetitive behaviours in autistic children. An association between Central CC volume and parental ratings of autistic mannerisms and motor skills was also found across participants, mostly driven by the non-autistic group. Conclusion These findings expand the current knowledge about the neural mechanisms underlying autism, suggesting that the reduced connectivity through the CC might have implications for both core autistic features and motor skills. En ligne : https://doi.org/10.1016/j.reia.2025.202626 Permalink : https://www.cra-rhone-alpes.org/cid/opac_css/index.php?lvl=notice_display&id=559 [article] Decreased central corpus callosum volume in autistic children is associated with repetitive behaviours and motor skills [Texte imprimé et/ou numérique] / Denis PERUZZO, Auteur ; Filippo ARRIGONI, Auteur ; Silvia BUSTI CECCARELLI, Auteur ; Laura VILLA, Auteur ; Elisa MANI, Auteur ; Eleonora MAGGIONI, Auteur ; Paolo BRAMBILLA, Auteur ; Maria NOBILE, Auteur ; Massimo MOLTENI, Auteur ; Alessandro CRIPPA, Auteur . - p.202626. Langues : Anglais (eng) in Research in Autism > 125 (July 2025) . - p.202626 Mots-clés : Autism  Corpus callosum  Magnetic resonance imaging  Restricted repetitive behaviours  Motor skills Index. décimale : PER Périodiques Résumé : Introduction Along with the core characteristics of the condition, autistic individuals commonly experience motor coordination difficulties, potentially related to a reduced cortical connectivity. Being the largest human commissure, the corpus callosum (CC) plays an essential role in interhemispheric connectivity and has been often involved among autistic atypicalities. This study aimed to investigate the volumes of corpus callosum subregions in a group of drug-naïve, autistic children and to explore its possible associations with both core features and motor coordination skills. Methods Thirty-five autistic children (2.5-12 years) were compared with a group of 35 closely IQ-matched, non-autistic peers. CC was identified and segmented into five subregions using Freesurfer. Callosal volumes were compared between the two groups and correlated with parental ratings of core autistic features as assessed by the Social Responsiveness Scale and with motor features as assessed by the Developmental Coordination Disorder Questionnaire. Associations between CC volume and Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule scores were also explored in autistic participants. Results Autistic children showed a reduced volume of the central segment of the CC, in the context of a comparable CC total volume. This reduction appeared to be correlated with symptoms of restricted and repetitive behaviours in autistic children. An association between Central CC volume and parental ratings of autistic mannerisms and motor skills was also found across participants, mostly driven by the non-autistic group. Conclusion These findings expand the current knowledge about the neural mechanisms underlying autism, suggesting that the reduced connectivity through the CC might have implications for both core autistic features and motor skills. En ligne : https://doi.org/10.1016/j.reia.2025.202626 Permalink : https://www.cra-rhone-alpes.org/cid/opac_css/index.php?lvl=notice_display&id=559

Differences in Developmental Functioning Profiles Between Male and Female Preschoolers Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder / Francesco CRAIG in Autism Research, 13-9 (September 2020)  

Public ISBD [article]  inAutism Research > 13-9 (September 2020) . - p.1537-1547 Titre : Differences in Developmental Functioning Profiles Between Male and Female Preschoolers Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder Type de document : Texte imprimé et/ou numérique Auteurs : Francesco CRAIG, Auteur ; Alessandro CRIPPA, Auteur ; Andrea DE GIACOMO, Auteur ; Marta RUGGIERO, Auteur ; Veronica RIZZATO, Auteur ; Alessandro LORENZO, Auteur ; Isabella FANIZZA, Auteur ; Lucia MARGARI, Auteur ; Antonio TRABACCA, Auteur Article en page(s) : p.1537-1547 Langues : Anglais (eng) Index. décimale : PER Périodiques Résumé : Abstract This study investigated differences in clinical symptoms and developmental functioning profiles as well as sex-specific correlations of clinical characteristics and communication abilities, motor skills, and maladaptive behaviors in male and female preschoolers with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Fifty-two females (mean age 4.5?±?2.16?years old) and 62 males (mean age 4.2?±?1.17?years old) with ASD were enrolled and assessed by measures including the Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule-Second Edition (ADOS-2) and Psychoeducational Profile-Third Edition (PEP-3). We found intellectual disability in 91.2% of the children. While preschoolers with ASD showed comparable severity of restricted and repetitive behaviors (P = 0.17), females with ASD were less severely affected than age and intelligence quotient-matched males with ASD in the ADOS-2 social affect domain (P value = 0.001) and calibrated severity scores (P = 0.002). Interestingly, sex-specific linear regressions revealed that fine motor skills were predictive of impaired social affect in males but not in females. Specifically, motor skills might be the core feature for sex differences in ASD. Although preliminary, this finding suggests the need for more sex-specific diagnostic and intervention strategies in order to improve early identification efforts and specific intervention targets. Lay Summary Little is known about differences in developmental and functional profiles in males and females with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). We found important similarities and differences in the core ASD symptoms between male and female preschoolers. In addition, fine motor skills seem to predict social affect impairment and ASD symptom severity in males with ASD. Autism Res 2020, 13: 1537–1547. © 2020 International Society for Autism Research, Wiley Periodicals, Inc. En ligne : http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/aur.2305 Permalink : https://www.cra-rhone-alpes.org/cid/opac_css/index.php?lvl=notice_display&id=431 [article] Differences in Developmental Functioning Profiles Between Male and Female Preschoolers Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder [Texte imprimé et/ou numérique] / Francesco CRAIG, Auteur ; Alessandro CRIPPA, Auteur ; Andrea DE GIACOMO, Auteur ; Marta RUGGIERO, Auteur ; Veronica RIZZATO, Auteur ; Alessandro LORENZO, Auteur ; Isabella FANIZZA, Auteur ; Lucia MARGARI, Auteur ; Antonio TRABACCA, Auteur . - p.1537-1547. Langues : Anglais (eng) in Autism Research > 13-9 (September 2020) . - p.1537-1547 Index. décimale : PER Périodiques Résumé : Abstract This study investigated differences in clinical symptoms and developmental functioning profiles as well as sex-specific correlations of clinical characteristics and communication abilities, motor skills, and maladaptive behaviors in male and female preschoolers with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Fifty-two females (mean age 4.5?±?2.16?years old) and 62 males (mean age 4.2?±?1.17?years old) with ASD were enrolled and assessed by measures including the Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule-Second Edition (ADOS-2) and Psychoeducational Profile-Third Edition (PEP-3). We found intellectual disability in 91.2% of the children. While preschoolers with ASD showed comparable severity of restricted and repetitive behaviors (P = 0.17), females with ASD were less severely affected than age and intelligence quotient-matched males with ASD in the ADOS-2 social affect domain (P value = 0.001) and calibrated severity scores (P = 0.002). Interestingly, sex-specific linear regressions revealed that fine motor skills were predictive of impaired social affect in males but not in females. Specifically, motor skills might be the core feature for sex differences in ASD. Although preliminary, this finding suggests the need for more sex-specific diagnostic and intervention strategies in order to improve early identification efforts and specific intervention targets. Lay Summary Little is known about differences in developmental and functional profiles in males and females with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). We found important similarities and differences in the core ASD symptoms between male and female preschoolers. In addition, fine motor skills seem to predict social affect impairment and ASD symptom severity in males with ASD. Autism Res 2020, 13: 1537–1547. © 2020 International Society for Autism Research, Wiley Periodicals, Inc. En ligne : http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/aur.2305 Permalink : https://www.cra-rhone-alpes.org/cid/opac_css/index.php?lvl=notice_display&id=431

Enhanced motor noise in an autism subtype with poor motor skills / Veronica MANDELLI in Molecular Autism, 15 (2024)  

Public ISBD [article]  inMolecular Autism > 15 (2024) . - 36p. Titre : Enhanced motor noise in an autism subtype with poor motor skills Type de document : Texte imprimé et/ou numérique Auteurs : Veronica MANDELLI, Auteur ; Isotta LANDI, Auteur ; Silvia Busti CECCARELLI, Auteur ; Massimo MOLTENI, Auteur ; Maria NOBILE, Auteur ; Alessandro D'AUSILIO, Auteur ; Luciano FADIGA, Auteur ; Alessandro CRIPPA, Auteur ; Michael V. LOMBARDO, Auteur Article en page(s) : 36p. Langues : Anglais (eng) Mots-clés : Humans  Child  Male  Female  Adolescent  Motor Skills  Autistic Disorder/physiopathology  Child, Preschool  Biomechanical Phenomena  Clustering  Kinematics  Motor  Stratification  Subtypes  competing interests to declare. Index. décimale : PER Périodiques Résumé : BACKGROUND: Motor difficulties are common in many, but not all, autistic individuals. These difficulties can co-occur with other problems, such as delays in language, intellectual, and adaptive functioning. Biological mechanisms underpinning such difficulties are less well understood. Poor motor skills tend to be more common in individuals carrying highly penetrant rare genetic mutations. Such mechanisms may have downstream consequences of altering neurophysiological excitation-inhibition balance and lead to enhanced behavioral motor noise. METHODS: This study combined publicly available and in-house datasets of autistic (n = 156), typically-developing (TD, n = 149), and developmental coordination disorder (DCD, n = 23) children (age 3-16 years). Autism motor subtypes were identified based on patterns of motor abilities measured from the Movement Assessment Battery for Children 2nd edition. Stability-based relative clustering validation was used to identify autism motor subtypes and evaluate generalization accuracy in held-out data. Autism motor subtypes were tested for differences in motor noise, operationalized as the degree of dissimilarity between repeated motor kinematic trajectories recorded during a simple reach-to-drop task. RESULTS: Relatively 'high' (n = 87) versus 'low' (n = 69) autism motor subtypes could be detected and which generalize with 89% accuracy in held-out data. The relatively 'low' subtype was lower in general intellectual ability and older at age of independent walking, but did not differ in age at first words or autistic traits or symptomatology. Motor noise was considerably higher in the 'low' subtype compared to 'high' (Cohen's d = 0.77) or TD children (Cohen's d = 0.85), but similar between autism 'high' and TD children (Cohen's d = 0.08). Enhanced motor noise in the 'low' subtype was also most pronounced during the feedforward phase of reaching actions. LIMITATIONS: The sample size of this work is limited. Future work in larger samples along with independent replication is important. Motor noise was measured only on one specific motor task. Thus, a more comprehensive assessment of motor noise on many other motor tasks is needed. CONCLUSIONS: Autism can be split into at least two discrete motor subtypes that are characterized by differing levels of motor noise. This suggests that autism motor subtypes may be underpinned by different biological mechanisms. En ligne : https://dx.doi.org/10.1186/s13229-024-00618-0 Permalink : https://www.cra-rhone-alpes.org/cid/opac_css/index.php?lvl=notice_display&id=538 [article] Enhanced motor noise in an autism subtype with poor motor skills [Texte imprimé et/ou numérique] / Veronica MANDELLI, Auteur ; Isotta LANDI, Auteur ; Silvia Busti CECCARELLI, Auteur ; Massimo MOLTENI, Auteur ; Maria NOBILE, Auteur ; Alessandro D'AUSILIO, Auteur ; Luciano FADIGA, Auteur ; Alessandro CRIPPA, Auteur ; Michael V. LOMBARDO, Auteur . - 36p. Langues : Anglais (eng) in Molecular Autism > 15 (2024) . - 36p. Mots-clés : Humans  Child  Male  Female  Adolescent  Motor Skills  Autistic Disorder/physiopathology  Child, Preschool  Biomechanical Phenomena  Clustering  Kinematics  Motor  Stratification  Subtypes  competing interests to declare. Index. décimale : PER Périodiques Résumé : BACKGROUND: Motor difficulties are common in many, but not all, autistic individuals. These difficulties can co-occur with other problems, such as delays in language, intellectual, and adaptive functioning. Biological mechanisms underpinning such difficulties are less well understood. Poor motor skills tend to be more common in individuals carrying highly penetrant rare genetic mutations. Such mechanisms may have downstream consequences of altering neurophysiological excitation-inhibition balance and lead to enhanced behavioral motor noise. METHODS: This study combined publicly available and in-house datasets of autistic (n = 156), typically-developing (TD, n = 149), and developmental coordination disorder (DCD, n = 23) children (age 3-16 years). Autism motor subtypes were identified based on patterns of motor abilities measured from the Movement Assessment Battery for Children 2nd edition. Stability-based relative clustering validation was used to identify autism motor subtypes and evaluate generalization accuracy in held-out data. Autism motor subtypes were tested for differences in motor noise, operationalized as the degree of dissimilarity between repeated motor kinematic trajectories recorded during a simple reach-to-drop task. RESULTS: Relatively 'high' (n = 87) versus 'low' (n = 69) autism motor subtypes could be detected and which generalize with 89% accuracy in held-out data. The relatively 'low' subtype was lower in general intellectual ability and older at age of independent walking, but did not differ in age at first words or autistic traits or symptomatology. Motor noise was considerably higher in the 'low' subtype compared to 'high' (Cohen's d = 0.77) or TD children (Cohen's d = 0.85), but similar between autism 'high' and TD children (Cohen's d = 0.08). Enhanced motor noise in the 'low' subtype was also most pronounced during the feedforward phase of reaching actions. LIMITATIONS: The sample size of this work is limited. Future work in larger samples along with independent replication is important. Motor noise was measured only on one specific motor task. Thus, a more comprehensive assessment of motor noise on many other motor tasks is needed. CONCLUSIONS: Autism can be split into at least two discrete motor subtypes that are characterized by differing levels of motor noise. This suggests that autism motor subtypes may be underpinned by different biological mechanisms. En ligne : https://dx.doi.org/10.1186/s13229-024-00618-0 Permalink : https://www.cra-rhone-alpes.org/cid/opac_css/index.php?lvl=notice_display&id=538

Eye-Hand Coordination in Children with High Functioning Autism and Asperger’s Disorder Using a Gap-Overlap Paradigm / Alessandro CRIPPA in Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 43-4 (April 2013)  

Public ISBD [article]  inJournal of Autism and Developmental Disorders > 43-4 (April 2013) . - p.841-850 Titre : Eye-Hand Coordination in Children with High Functioning Autism and Asperger’s Disorder Using a Gap-Overlap Paradigm Type de document : Texte imprimé et/ou numérique Auteurs : Alessandro CRIPPA, Auteur ; Sara FORTI, Auteur ; Paolo PEREGO, Auteur ; Massimo MOLTENI, Auteur Article en page(s) : p.841-850 Langues : Anglais (eng) Mots-clés : Autism  Eye hand coordination  Gap effect  Oculomotor control Index. décimale : PER Périodiques Résumé : We investigated eye-hand coordination in children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) in comparison with age-matched normally developing peers. The eye-hand correlation was measured by putting fixation latencies in relation with pointing and key pressing responses in visual detection tasks where a gap-overlap paradigm was used and compared to fixation latencies in absence of manual response. ASD patients showed less efficient eye-hand coordination, which was particularly evident when pointing towards a target was being fixated. The data of normally developing participants confirmed that manual gap effects are more likely for more complex hand movements. An important discrepancy was discovered in participants with ASD: beside normal eye gap effects, they showed no concurrent hand gap effects when pointing to targets. This result has been interpreted as a further sign of inefficient eye-hand coordination in this patient population. En ligne : http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10803-012-1623-8 Permalink : https://www.cra-rhone-alpes.org/cid/opac_css/index.php?lvl=notice_display&id=194 [article] Eye-Hand Coordination in Children with High Functioning Autism and Asperger’s Disorder Using a Gap-Overlap Paradigm [Texte imprimé et/ou numérique] / Alessandro CRIPPA, Auteur ; Sara FORTI, Auteur ; Paolo PEREGO, Auteur ; Massimo MOLTENI, Auteur . - p.841-850. Langues : Anglais (eng) in Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders > 43-4 (April 2013) . - p.841-850 Mots-clés : Autism  Eye hand coordination  Gap effect  Oculomotor control Index. décimale : PER Périodiques Résumé : We investigated eye-hand coordination in children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) in comparison with age-matched normally developing peers. The eye-hand correlation was measured by putting fixation latencies in relation with pointing and key pressing responses in visual detection tasks where a gap-overlap paradigm was used and compared to fixation latencies in absence of manual response. ASD patients showed less efficient eye-hand coordination, which was particularly evident when pointing towards a target was being fixated. The data of normally developing participants confirmed that manual gap effects are more likely for more complex hand movements. An important discrepancy was discovered in participants with ASD: beside normal eye gap effects, they showed no concurrent hand gap effects when pointing to targets. This result has been interpreted as a further sign of inefficient eye-hand coordination in this patient population. En ligne : http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10803-012-1623-8 Permalink : https://www.cra-rhone-alpes.org/cid/opac_css/index.php?lvl=notice_display&id=194

Further Empirical Data on the Psychoeducational Profile-Revised (PEP-R): Reliability and Validation with the Vineland Adaptive Behavior Scales / Susanna VILLA in Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 40-3 (March 2010)  

Public ISBD [article]  inJournal of Autism and Developmental Disorders > 40-3 (March 2010) . - p.334-341 Titre : Further Empirical Data on the Psychoeducational Profile-Revised (PEP-R): Reliability and Validation with the Vineland Adaptive Behavior Scales Type de document : Texte imprimé et/ou numérique Auteurs : Susanna VILLA, Auteur ; Valentina PASTORE, Auteur ; Massimo MOLTENI, Auteur ; Enrico MICHELI, Auteur ; Laura VILLA, Auteur ; Alessandro CRIPPA, Auteur Année de publication : 2010 Article en page(s) : p.334-341 Langues : Anglais (eng) Mots-clés : Autism Assessment Psychometrics-properties Psychoeducational-profile- revised-(PEP-R) Vineland-Adaptive-Behavior-Scales Index. décimale : PER Périodiques Résumé : The PEP-R (psychoeducational profile revised) is an instrument that has been used in many countries to assess abilities and formulate treatment programs for children with autism and related developmental disorders. To the end to provide further information on the PEP-R’s psychometric properties, a large sample (N = 137) of children presenting Autistic Disorder symptoms under the age of 12 years, including low-functioning individuals, was examined. Results yielded data of interest especially in terms of: Cronbach’s alpha, interrater reliability, and validation with the Vineland Adaptive Behavior Scales. These findings help complete the instrument’s statistical description and augment its usefulness, not only in designing treatment programs for these individuals, but also as an instrument for verifying the efficacy of intervention. En ligne : http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10803-009-0877-2 Permalink : https://www.cra-rhone-alpes.org/cid/opac_css/index.php?lvl=notice_display&id=966 [article] Further Empirical Data on the Psychoeducational Profile-Revised (PEP-R): Reliability and Validation with the Vineland Adaptive Behavior Scales [Texte imprimé et/ou numérique] / Susanna VILLA, Auteur ; Valentina PASTORE, Auteur ; Massimo MOLTENI, Auteur ; Enrico MICHELI, Auteur ; Laura VILLA, Auteur ; Alessandro CRIPPA, Auteur . - 2010 . - p.334-341. Langues : Anglais (eng) in Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders > 40-3 (March 2010) . - p.334-341 Mots-clés : Autism Assessment Psychometrics-properties Psychoeducational-profile- revised-(PEP-R) Vineland-Adaptive-Behavior-Scales Index. décimale : PER Périodiques Résumé : The PEP-R (psychoeducational profile revised) is an instrument that has been used in many countries to assess abilities and formulate treatment programs for children with autism and related developmental disorders. To the end to provide further information on the PEP-R’s psychometric properties, a large sample (N = 137) of children presenting Autistic Disorder symptoms under the age of 12 years, including low-functioning individuals, was examined. Results yielded data of interest especially in terms of: Cronbach’s alpha, interrater reliability, and validation with the Vineland Adaptive Behavior Scales. These findings help complete the instrument’s statistical description and augment its usefulness, not only in designing treatment programs for these individuals, but also as an instrument for verifying the efficacy of intervention. En ligne : http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10803-009-0877-2 Permalink : https://www.cra-rhone-alpes.org/cid/opac_css/index.php?lvl=notice_display&id=966

Motor abilities as a possible specifier of autism: A response to Bhat (2021) / Alessandro CRIPPA in Autism Research, 15-10 (October 2022)  

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A multimethod approach to assessing motor skills in boys and girls with autism spectrum disorder / Alessandro CRIPPA in Autism, 25-5 (July 2021)  

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A multimethod approach to assessing motor skills in boys and girls with autism spectrum disorder / Alessandro CRIPPA in Autism, 26-5 (July 2022)  

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A multimodal approach can identify specific motor profiles in autism and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder / Stefano DE FRANCESCO in Autism Research, 16-8 (August 2023)  

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Understanding feeding problems in autistic children: Exploring the interplay between internalizing symptoms and sensory features / Alessandro CRIPPA in Autism, 26-8 (November 2022)  

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Use of Machine Learning to Identify Children with Autism and Their Motor Abnormalities / Alessandro CRIPPA in Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 45-7 (July 2015)  

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