Proprioception, Emotion and Social Responsiveness in Children with Developmental Disorders: An Exploratory Study in Autism Spectrum Disorder, Cerebral Palsy and Different Neurodevelopmental Situations

Abstract

[eng] Proprioception has long been linked with emotional dysregulation in neurotypical adults.Neuropediatric disorders such as autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and cerebral palsy (CP) are distinctentities and yet both present with deficits and challenges in sensory processing and the regulationof emotions. This study aimed to explore the relationship between proprioception and emotional–social performance in children and to compare proprioception and emotional–social performancein different underlying neurodevelopmental conditions. For this purpose, this cross-sectional studyincluded 42 children with ASD, 34 children with CP and 50 typically developing peers. Proprioceptiveacuity, proprioceptive reactive behavior as well as emotion regulation and social responsiveness wereassessed. The results show a significant correlation between proprioceptive deficits and emotionaldifficulties in this pediatric sample, with distinct proprioceptive impairment patterns according tothe underlying neurological disorder. Children with CP showed significant emotional knowledgedeficits, while children with ASD predominantly showed challenges in social responsiveness. Thesedata thus suggest a differentiated impact of proprioception on emotional–social performance inneurodevelopmental disorders and highlight proprioception as a potential therapeutic target forbalancing emotion regulation in children with neurodevelopmental conditions.