A large body of literature, including preclinical histopathology, genetic and neuroimaging studies has established the involvement of the cerebellar circuits in the physiopathology of Autism Spectrum Disorders. The aim of the present study was to evaluate at a behavioral level the cerebellar function of preschool children with ASD, in comparison to two groups of age-matched intellectually disabled (ID) and typically developing (TD) children. 60 children (20 with ASD, 20 with ID and 20 TD) aged 4 to 6 years old participated in the study. The three groups were pair-matched for age and gender. ASD and ID groups were also matched according their nonverbal IQ, using the Wechsler Non-Verbal Scale of Ability. All children met the criteria of DSM- V and were diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) or Intellectual Disability (ID) by Public Committees. Participants’ examined using 7 clinical tests, into the three main areas of cerebellar function maintenance of posture, hypotonia (reduced muscle tone), and complex movements. Our results showed that children with ASD in our sample performed significantly lower in 6 out of 7 cerebellar tests compared to TD children and children with ID. These findings indicate that cerebellar-dependent motor behaviours are compromised in preschool children diagnosed with ASD. Our findings, are consistent with previous studies which support a general cerebellar dysfunction in children with ASD, indicating that these impairments can emerge and be detected as early as preschool years.

Authors:
Fotini Tsiftzi, University of Thessaly, Greece
Filippos Vlachos, University of Thessaly, Greece
Elias Avramidis, University of Thessaly, Greece
Despoina Papoudi, University of Thessaly, Greece
Plousia Misailidi, University of Ioannina, Greece

About the Presenter(s)
Ms FOTINI TSIFTZI is a University Doctoral Student at university of thessaly in Greece

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