Search Results

The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of visual supports on the performance of the Test of Gross Motor Development (TGMD-2) for children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Participants (N = 22) performed the TGMD-2 under three different protocols (traditional protocol, picture task card protocol, and picture activity schedule protocol). Gross motor quotient scores on the TGMD-2 were measured and statistically analyzed using a within-subjects repeated-measures ANOVA. Results indicated statistically significant differences between protocols, while post hoc tests indicated that the picture task card condition produced significantly higher gross motor quotient scores than the traditional protocol and the picture activity schedule. The results suggest that more accurate gross motor quotient scores on the TGMD-2 by children with ASD can be elicited using the picture task card protocol.

Twenty-two children (age range of 3.5–10.92 years old) with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) were assessed using the Test of Gross Motor Development (Second Edition; TGMD-2) using three different protocols. The total duration of assessment time and the percentage of time engaged in on-task behavior during the assessments were measured and analyzed using within-subjects repeated measure ANOVA designs to compare performance across the three protocols. Significant differences emerged across the duration of assessment time by assessment protocol, while no significant differences emerged for time on-task during the assessments by protocol used. In addition, correlations were calculated between the TGMD-2 scores and the duration of assessment time and the percentage of time on-task. An inverse relationship was found between TGMD-2 scores and total duration of assessment time by protocol used, (r = .726, .575, .686), while a positive relationship was found between the TGMD-2 scores and time on-task (r = -.570, -.535, -.798). These results suggest a direct relationship between skill proficiency and contextually appropriate behaviors.

We tested the end-state comfort effect (ESCE) under varying reach extents (Experiment 1) and a balancing task (Experiment 2). We hypothesized that as reach extent increased, or when participants had to perform a simultaneous balancing task, sensitivity to end-state comfort would decrease. Participants were divided by height (taller or shorter than 160 cm) to understand the impact of reach extent. In Experiment 1, 86 participants grasped an overturned glass from a shelf, turned the glass upright, placed it on a counter, and then filled the glass with water. Shelf heights were 95, 145, and 168 cm above the floor. In Experiment 2, 82 participants climbed a stepstool, which posed a modest balance challenge, before grasping an overturned glass from a shelf 213.4 cm high. They then turned the glass upright and filled it with water. Three trials were performed. In each experiment, for individuals taller than 160 cm, a Cochran’s Q test revealed a majority used an awkward thumb-down grip to initially grasp the glass in all conditions. However, for participants shorter than 160 cm, sensitivity to end-state comfort decreased. This interaction suggests that the ESCE is influenced by both participant height and tasks requiring extreme reaches. Results are interpreted in context of a constraint hierarchy within a model of posture-based motion planning.