HeartSpace Blog
A thoughtful commentary on issues in Physical Therapy for children, adolescents and adults experiencing challenges with movement
August 26, 2023
Movement research – ASD #9
This is the final post in this series on ASD. We’ve talked about rhythm with respect to other neurological movement difficulties for many years (think Parkinson’s disease or stroke). But this article by Hardy and LaGasse discusses how rhythm is proposed to activate motoneurons via reticulospinal pathways, thereby “priming” the motor system. They also noted
August 21, 2023
Movement research – ASD #8
So excited to read this 2023 article Early Indicators of Autism in Infants: Development of the IMES Screening Tool. The pilot study demonstrated validity and reliability of the Infant Motor and Engagement Scale (IMES) for early identification of Autism in infants 6-9 months. Early identification sets the stage for early intervention!
August 13, 2023
Movement research – ASD #7
A review article by Kindregan in 2015 delineated common gait characteristics in autistic children between the ages of 4 and 18 years: The last post discussed difficulties with transitional movement in autism. If we look at gait as a transitional movement, then it’s not surprising that we would see movement differences here as well.
August 8, 2023
Movement research – ASD #6
A 2021 study by Lavenne-Collot confirmed what we see in the clinic – children with ASD crawl on hands and knees 25% less than neurotypical children. Other observations noted were difficulty getting into sitting independently and independent walking. Interesting (but not surprising) is that all of these milestones are characterized as transitional movements rather than
July 29, 2023
Movement research – ASD #5
I’ve had several parents come into the clinic over the past weeks and ask about their baby’s ability to do a “pull-to-sit” task. Of course they’ve heard of the study that says children delayed in their pull-to-sit (PTS) ability may have autism. The original study was published quite a few years ago but the topic