Su, Wan-Chun2023-01-052023-01-052022https://udspace.udel.edu/handle/19716/31978Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is a multisystem neurodevelopmental disorder not only affects children’s core impairments in social communication and behavioral-affective states but also their comorbid impairments in perceptuo-motor performance. Children’s comorbid impairments in general motor (i.e., gross and fine motor) and socially embedded motor performance (i.e., interpersonal synchrony (IPS)) might eventually affect their social participation. ☐ The purpose of this dissertation was to identify ASD-related neurobiomarkers during IPS and to develop an evidence-based, multisystem intervention that targets multisystem difficulties of children with ASD. In Aims 1 and 2, we compared IPS performance and functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS)-related cortical activation between children with and without ASD during reaching and body sway synchrony tasks. Children with ASD showed significant IPS difficulties as well as associated atypical cortical activation such as reduced inferior frontal gyrus, superior temporal sulcus activation, and increased inferior parietal lobe activation. Moreover, unlike their typically developing peers, children with ASD did not scale up their cortical activation when more social-perceptual information was provided. The neurobiomarkers we identified in Aims 1 and 2 could be used as objective response measures to study intervention effects. ☐ In Aim 3 we conducted a comprehensive systematic review to understand the neural effects of movement intervention/physical activity in children with ASD and other developmental disabilities. Our systematic review revealed normalized resting state, cortical arousal/connectivity, as well as normalized electroencephalogram, and event-related potentials during multiple executive functioning tasks after physical activity and movement interventions. ☐ Aims 4-6, build on our past behavioral and neurobiomarker studies as well as recent systematic reviews, to conduct a Randomized Controlled Trial (RCT) comparing effects of 8 weeks of multisystem, synchrony-based Creative Movement (CM, using a blend of music, dance, and yoga approaches), General Movement (GM, control for movement), and Sedentary Play (SP, control for social interactions) interventions on the motor, social communication, behavioral-affective, and cognitive skills of school-age children with ASD. ☐ In Aim 4, we explored the effects of CM and SP interventions on general and socially embedded motor skills in children with ASD. Children in both CM and SP groups showed improved fine motor and imitation performance, while children in the CM group showed additional improvements in gross motor (i.e., body coordination, strength, agility, locomotor skills) and IPS performance. ☐ In Aim 5, we explored the cascading effects of CM and SP interventions on social communication, cognitive, and behavioral-affective performance in children with ASD. Only children in the CM group showed increased/improved socially directed verbalization, prosocial behavior, executive functions, and positive affect. ☐ Lastly, in Aim 6, we explored the neural effects of CM, GM, and SP interventions during a drumming synchrony task. GM group showed increased socially enhanced activation over the frontal regions, the SP group showed increased activation over the temporal regions, while the CM group showed a more widespread increase in socially enhanced activation over frontal and temporal regions. ☐ Overall, this dissertation work builds on our lab’s past work to confirm that creative movement interventions through their motor influences on body coordination and IPS have cascading effects on social communication skills, behavioral/affective, and cognitive skills of school-age children with ASD. Lastly, we offer supporting evidence for the use of fNIRS-based neurobiomarkers as intervention response measures following movement interventions.Autism spectrum disorderCreative movement interventionfNIRSInterpersonal synchronyNeural effectsSystematic reviewThesis1356895515https://doi.org/10.58088/px4c-q0402022-08-10en