Date Published: February 12, 2026

This is a SPARK Research Match Summary Report. It describes results from newly published research using data from SPARK participants.

Study title

Atypical Postural Control Variability and Coordination Persist Into Middle and Older Adulthood in Autism Spectrum Disorder

What was the study about?

This study investigated whether balance and movement problems, commonly seen in autistic children, are also found in middle-aged and older autistic adults. The researchers also wanted to understand how aging affects postural stability in autistic adults, because falling is a major cause of injury for this group.

How was the research done?

Researchers studied 95 adults aged 30 to 73. This group included 47 autistic adults, some of whom are in SPARK, and 48 adults without autism. They were matched by age, gender, and IQ for comparison. The adults were asked to stand barefoot on a special force platform that tracks body movements. Participants performed three different tasks: standing as still as possible, using their ankles to sway forward and backward continuously without lifting their feet, and using their hips to sway side-to-side. The researchers used computers to measure how much the participants moved, how far they moved, and how smooth or shaky their movements were.

What did the researchers learn?

• When asked to stand still, autistic adults swayed significantly more than adults without autism. They showed more movement in both forward-backward and side-to-side directions.¹
• When asked to sway on purpose, autistic adults moved differently. They did not sway as far as the adults without autism, and their movements were “jerkier” (less smooth), especially when changing direction.
• Usually, as people get older, they sway more because their balance gets worse. However, older autistic adults swayed less in the forward-backward direction compared with younger autistic adults.
• For autistic adults, having a lower verbal IQ was linked to having more trouble keeping their movements steady during the forward-backward sway task.

What was new and innovative about the study?

This study is among the first to focus on middle-aged and older autistic adults, and to study them when standing still, swaying forward and backward, and swaying from side to side.

What do the findings mean?

These findings show that balance problems seen in autistic children are also found in middle-aged and older autistic adults. As a group, these adults had trouble coordinating their muscles to move smoothly. They seemed to struggle with separating forward movements from side-to-side movements when needed, making their balance less efficient. Because they had less stability when standing still and less coordination when moving, they may be at a higher risk for falls.

What are people saying?

Study Participants:

• “This is an excellent study. The people involved are great and they made me feel welcome.”
• “This was a wonderful experience for me. I look forward to participating in future studies. The staff was very accommodating, helpful, and patient.”
• “I really enjoyed participating in this study. [The research coordinator] was great to work with, and I learned so much about myself and my autism. Would definitely do this again.”

Study Researcher Zheng Wang, Ph.D., associate professor, University of Florida:

“Most research on balance in autism has focused on children, so we still know very little about balance in autistic adults. This is an important gap because falls are a leading cause of physical injury among autistic people. Despite this risk, balance and movement control in middle-aged and older autistic adults have rarely been studied. Our study shows that balance challenges do not simply disappear with age. Autistic adults continue to experience these differences later in life. Our findings highlight the need for future research to develop strategies and interventions to improve balance and reduce fall risk, with the goal of supporting safety, independence, and quality of life for autistic adults.”

What’s next?

The researchers want to follow the same group of people over many years. This study looked at participants at only one point in time, so it could not show how aging changes balance for each person. The researchers plan to follow the participants from this study to see if aging accelerates balance problems.

References

1. Qu H. et al. Autism Res. 18, 752-764 (2025) PubMed

Staff used an artificial intelligence tool, NotebookLM, to help summarize the research. Quotes came from participants and a researcher. Staff and a researcher edited and reviewed the content.

About SPARK Research Match

This SPARK Program matches participants with research studies that they may want to join. These studies have been evaluated for scientific merit and approved by a scientific committee at SPARK. The program is free to researchers and participants. SPARK does not endorse or conduct these studies. Participants choose if they want to take part in a particular study.