Implicit motor learning in children with autism spectrum disorder

Motor dysfunction is increasingly being viewed as a core characteristic of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) in children. In particular, children with ASD have difficulty in learning new motor skills and there is a need to develop effective methods to improve this. Previous research has found that children with ASD may retain the ability to implicitly learn motor skills in comparison to their explicit learning of motor skills, which is typically impaired. This literature mini review focuses on summarizing the study of implicit learning in the acquisition of motor skills in children with ASD. First, we briefly introduce several common implicit learning methods in children's motor skill learning. Second, we focus on the role of two important implicit learning approaches in motor skill learning, namely, an external focus of attention and analogy learning. Finally, based on our review of the existing studies, we present an outlook for future research and the areas that need to be improved in the practical teaching of implicit learning in the acquisition of motor skills in children with ASD

Autism · Autism spectrum disorder · Cognition · Cognitive psychology · Developmental psychology · Dreyfus model of skill acquisition · Implicit Learning · Motor Learning · Motor skill · Autism Spectrum Disorder Research · Behavioral and Psychological Studies · Children's Physical and Motor Development · Neuroscience · Psychology

• The effect of implicit and explicit motor learning on a targeting task in children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD)

  Open Access•Morteza Homayounnia Firouzjah, Saeed Nazari Kakvandi et al.•Acta Psychologica•2025

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• The role of working memory in motor learning and performance

  Open Access•J P Maxwell, Rich Sw Masters et al.•Consciousness and Cognition•2003

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• Superiority of external attentional focus for motor performance and learning

  Lee-Kuen Chua, Judith Jimenez-Diaz et al.•Psychological Bulletin•2021

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• Knowledge, knerves and know-how

  Open Access•Rich Sw Masters, R S W Masters•British Journal of Psychology•1992

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