Association between Motor and Language Skills Development in Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder: A Scoping Review

An emerging body of literature suggests that early motor skills may be a key predictor of language development in children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). However, characteristics of subject groups, targeted skill areas and their assessment tools, and methodological approaches significantly vary across existing studies. This scoping review aimed to map out the associative nature of motor and language skills among children with ASD according to different age groups and ancillary attributes by investigating empirical studies published in the past 20 years. We searched research articles published in peer-reviewed journals between January 2000 and December 2020 using PsycINFO, PubMed, and ERIC. A total of 11 studies were selected and analysed using the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic reviews and Meta-Analyses extension for Scoping Reviews Checklist. Available evidence indicates that despite a lack of agreement among available instruments for skills assessments, there exists a positive relationship between motor and language development in that early motor skills predict the rate of both receptive and expressive language development in children with ASD. More studies on such relationship in later childhood and adolescence are warranted to provide practical implications of motor and/or language delay in children with ASD and further timely intervention development.