Abstract: Objective To explore the deficiency of upper limb movement in children with autism and its related factors. Methods 30 autism children aged 7-13 years old, and 30 healthy children aged 7-8 years from February to May, 2014 were enrolled. Their range of motion, comprehensive strength and cooperation, endurance, and muscular tension were tested. Results All the indexes of autism children lagged behind the healthy children (P<0.01), expect the muscular tension of the right upper limb (P>0.05). The endurance of boys was better than girls (P=0.020), and there was no difference in other aspects between them (P>0.05). The type of autism for more upper limb movement correlated with obstruction of Jianjing acupoint (GB21) (r=0.515, P=0.013), and was significantly different with the type of less limb movement (χ2=8.533, P=0.003). Conclusion Compared with healthy children, the joint motion is relatively flexible, but lack of strength, and with poor persistence and unbalance development between left and right upper limbs. Motor rehabilitation should be conducted according to their movement features and the condition of meridian.

Key words: autism, sports ability, upper limb movement