Emotion, Intent and Voluntary Movement in Children with Autism. An Example: The Goal Directed Locomotion

This article focuses on the impact of intentionality on goal directed locomotion in healthy and autistic children. Closely
linked with emotions and motivation, it is directly connected with movement planning. Is planning only preserved when the
goal of the action appears motivating for healthy and autistic children? Is movement programming similar for autistic and
healthy children, and does it vary according to the emotional valence of the object? Moving in a straight line, twenty autistic
and healthy children had to retrieve a positive or aversive emotional valence object. The results suggest planning and programming
are preserved in an emotionally positive situation. However, in an aversive situation, autistic children appear to have a
deficit in terms of planning and sometimes programming.