Gait

Recent articles

Illustration showing two hands plugging cables into different areas of the brain, eg. prefrontal cortex, motor cortex, etc.

Motor difficulties in autism, explained

Most people with autism have motor difficulties, ranging from an atypical gait to problems with handwriting, but researchers still have much to learn about their causes and consequences.

By Lauren Schenkman
13 August 2020 | 7 min read

Unusual gait marks mice with mutations related to autism

Mouse models of two genetic conditions related to autism show abnormalities in their movement patterns.

By Emily Anthes
20 October 2019 | 3 min read
Child walking with sensors on in motion capture test.

Walking in virtual environment may reveal unique autism gait

A two-belt treadmill attached to a specialized display suggests that people with autism have a distinct walking style.

By Maris Fessenden
8 February 2019 | 2 min read

Siblings of children with autism may have trouble with motor tasks

Siblings of children with autism have motor difficulties similar to those in autistic children, but milder.

By Rachel Zamzow
4 November 2018 | 2 min read

Mutations in autism gene may trigger milder effects than does its loss

People with mutations in SHANK3 have milder features than do those missing a chunk of DNA that includes the gene.

By Bahar Gholipour
20 June 2018 | 4 min read
parents hiking with toddler

Walking doesn’t deliver language gains for children with autism

Children with autism do not show the burst of vocabulary growth that usually accompanies learning to walk.

By Emily Anthes
4 December 2017 | 4 min read
mouse running up wheel

Experimental Huntington’s drug improves gait in Rett mice

A candidate drug in clinical trials for Huntington's disease reverses gait problems in a mouse model of Rett syndrome.

By Hannah Furfaro
14 November 2017 | 3 min read
Movement maps of children with Phelan-McDermid syndrome

Drug improves gait in children with Phelan-McDermid syndrome

A new measure of motor skills suggests that insulin-like growth factor 1 improves movement in people with Phelan-McDermid syndrome.

By Hannah Furfaro
12 November 2017 | 2 min read

Autism in motion

Children with autism are often clumsy, physically awkward or uncoordinated. This understudied and nearly ubiquitous feature has researchers contemplating a new idea: Could motor problems be one source of autism’s social difficulties?

By Nicholette Zeliadt
31 May 2017 | 17 min read
Spectrum from The Transmitter.

Repurposed drugs may treat Angelman syndrome

An acne drug, a dietary supplement and a failed sleeping aid each show promise for Angelman syndrome, according to unpublished results presented Tuesday at a meeting.

By Jessica Wright
19 March 2015 | 5 min read

Explore more from The Transmitter

Research image of EEG scans showing dopamine levels in human brains.

Null and Noteworthy: Learning theory validated 20 years later

The first published paper from the EEGManyLabs replication project nullifies a null result that had complicated a famous reinforcement learning theory.

By Laura Dattaro
30 May 2025 | 4 min read
Gerry Fischbach.

Neuroscientist Gerry Fischbach, in his own words

In 2023, I had the privilege of sitting down with Gerry over the course of several days and listening as he told the story of his life and career—including stints as dean or director of such leading institutions as Columbia University and NINDS—so that we could record it for posterity.

By Ivan Oransky
30 May 2025 | 2 min read
Amina Abubakar, dressed in yellow, stands outside and looks into the camera lens.

Amina Abubakar translates autism research and care for Kenya

First an educator and now an internationally recognized researcher, the Kenyan psychologist is changing autism science and services in sub-Saharan Africa.

By Ruth Kadide Keah
29 May 2025 | 7 min read