Can cognitive theories help to understand motor dysfunction in autism spectrum disorder?

This chapter provides a literature review of various components necessary for adequate motor control. These range from the biomechanical aspects of motor sequencing to the complex interactions that take place during accurate eye-hand coordination. Both sources of motor acts are discussed within the context of tasks that require abstraction and have different degrees of cognitive loads. These include the various visuomotor components required for controlled handwriting, including important aspects of visuomotor integration that seem to develop differently in autism spectrum disorder (ASD). We discuss these findings in light of current cognitive theories of social and communication impairments in ASD to try and reconcile disparate notions on their possible links.