Fine Motor Skill Development

Introduction: The Common Region Test (CRT) is useful for predicting children’s visual memory as individual object-place binding predicted better object memory while objects-region coding predicted better place memory. Aim: The aim was to test children with ASD and ADHD with regards to spatial binding in the CRT. Methods: (1) 19 children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), (2) 20 children with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), (3) gender-matched chronological age (CA) and (4) verbal mental age (MA) typically developing (TD) children as control groups were tested with the CRT and Bender Gestalt tests (N = 117). Results: Children with ASD and ADHD showed more unsystematic coding than TD children. This was due to lower fine motor skills, and in children with ADHD also because of reduced verbal naming. Almost all children with ASD presented the less mature under-inclusive Type I unsystematic coding which included object-place binding, while children with ADHD showed the o...

Introduction. The Common Region Test (CRT) is useful for predicting children’s visual memory as individual object-place binding predicted better object memory while objects-region coding predicted better place memory.
Aim. The aim was to test children with ASD and ADHD with regards to spatial binding in the CRT.
Methods. (1) 19 children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), (2) 20 children with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), (3) gender-matched chronological age (CA) and (4) verbal mental age (MA) typically developing (TD) children as control groups were tested with the CRT and Bender Gestalt tests (N = 117).
Results. Children with ASD and ADHD showed more unsystematic coding than TD children. This was due to lower fine motor skills, and in children with ADHD also because of reduced verbal naming. Almost all children with ASD presented the less mature under-inclusive Type I unsystematic coding which included object-place binding, while children with ADHD showed the overinclusive Type II unsystematic coding that was overriding the Gestalt-like properties of proximity and similarity.
Conclusions. It was demonstrated that the CRT is a useful screening instrument for ASD and ADHD that shows that their spatial categorization varies in their unsystematic visuo-spatial classification due to fine motor skill deficiencies.