Research Article Abnormal Pressure Pain, Touch Sensitivity, Proprioception, and Manual Dexterity in Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders Inmaculada Riquelme, 1,2 Samar M. Hatem, 3,4 and Pedro Montoya 1 1 University Institute of Health Sciences Research (IUNICS-IdISPa), University of the Balearic Islands, 07122 Palma de Mallorca, Spain 2 Department of Nursing and Physiotherapy, University of the Balearic Islands, 07122 Palma de Mallorca, Spain 3 Clinic of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Brugmann University Hospital, 1020 Brussels, Belgium 4 Institute of Neuroscience, Universit´ e catholique de Louvain, Brussels, Belgium Correspondence should be addressed to Pedro Montoya; pedro.montoya@uib.es Received 30 July 2015; Revised 5 October 2015; Accepted 15 October 2015 Academic Editor: Etienne de Villers-Sidani Copyright © 2016 Inmaculada Riquelme et al. Tis is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. Children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) ofen display an abnormal reactivity to tactile stimuli, altered pain perception, and lower motor skills than healthy children. Nevertheless, these motor and sensory defcits have been mostly assessed by using clinical observation and self-report questionnaires. Te present study aims to explore somatosensory and motor function in children with ASD by using standardized and objective testing procedures. Methods. Tactile and pressure pain thresholds in hands and lips, stereognosis, proprioception, and fne motor performance of the upper limbs were assessed in high-functioning children with ASD ( = 27) and compared with typically developing peers ( = 30). Results. Children with ASD showed increased pain sensitivity, increased touch sensitivity in C-tactile aferents innervated areas, and diminished fne motor performance and proprioception compared to healthy children. No group diferences were observed for stereognosis. Conclusion. Increased pain sensitivity and increased touch sensitivity in areas classically related to afective touch (C-tactile aferents innervated areas) may explain typical avoiding behaviors associated with hypersensitivity. Both sensory and motor impairments should be assessed and treated in children with ASD. 1. Introduction Autism spectrum disorders (ASD) have been repeatedly asso- ciated with motor and somatosensory impairments. Motor performance is narrowly related to the correct integration of touch sensitivity, as it is shown by the coactivation of brain somatosensory and motor areas during motor tasks [1]. Tus, praxis performance requires representations of the body, movement and environment (mediated by parietal regions), and transcoding of these representations into move- ment plans (mediated by premotor circuits) [2]. Moreover, sensitivity and motor impairments have been related to the ability to participate successfully in daily life activities in children with ASD [3, 4]. It has been shown that perceptual-motor action models combining somatosensory and motor circuits and necessary to development of skilled gestures, such as manual dexterity, are altered in children with ASD [4]. Te development of gross and fne motor function appears to be delayed in children with ASD [5–8] and individuals with ASD exhibited dysfunctional posture and muscle tone, fne manipulative apraxia, lower grip strength, stifer gait, lack of coordination, lower movement speed, excessive associated movements, and, in general, defcits in planning and execution of motor actions compared to typically developing peers [8–16]. Children with ASD also are characterized by abnormal sensitivity to touch, proprioceptive, and painful stimuli [17, 18]. Tus, previous work studies have found that high- functioning children with ASD self-reported strong reactions and heightened apprehension to external tactile stimuli (hypersensitivity), as well as hyposensitivity to propriocep- tion and pain stimuli [19]. Furthermore, questionnaire data from parents and health professionals have revealed that individuals with ASD displayed substantial alterations on Hindawi Publishing Corporation Neural Plasticity Volume 2016, Article ID 1723401, 9 pages http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2016/1723401