Social Motor Synchronization: Insights for Understanding Social Behavior in Autism

Impairments in social interaction and communication are critical features of ASD but the underlying processes are poorly understood. An under-explored area is the social motor synchronization that happens when we coordinate our bodies with others. Here, we explored the relationships between dynamica...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of autism and developmental disorders 2017-07, Vol.47 (7), p.2092-2107
Main Authors: Fitzpatrick, Paula, Romero, Veronica, Amaral, Joseph L., Duncan, Amie, Barnard, Holly, Richardson, Michael J., Schmidt, R. C.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Analysis
Attention
Autism
Autistic Disorder - physiopathology
Autistic Disorder - psychology
Behavioral Science and Psychology
Child and School Psychology
Cognition
Communication
Cooperation
Female
Humans
Interpersonal communication
Interpersonal Relations
Joint attention
Male
Motor task performance
Movement
Neurosciences
Original Paper
Pediatrics
Pervasive Developmental Disorders
Preferences
Psychology
Psychomotor Performance
Psychomotor Skills
Public Health
Severity
Severity (of Disability)
Skills
Social aspects
Social Behavior
Social interaction
Synchronization
Theory of Mind
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Summary:Impairments in social interaction and communication are critical features of ASD but the underlying processes are poorly understood. An under-explored area is the social motor synchronization that happens when we coordinate our bodies with others. Here, we explored the relationships between dynamical measures of social motor synchronization and assessments of ASD traits. We found (a) spontaneous social motor synchronization was associated with responding to joint attention, cooperation, and theory of mind while intentional social motor synchronization was associated with initiating joint attention and theory of mind; and (b) social motor synchronization was associated with ASD severity but not fully explained by motor problems. Findings suggest that objective measures of social motor synchronization may provide insights into understanding ASD traits.
ISSN:0162-3257
1573-3432
DOI:10.1007/s10803-017-3124-2