Autistic traits affect interpersonal motor coordination by modulating strategic use of role-based behavior.
Arianna Curioni, Ilaria Minio-Paluello, Lucia Maria Sacheli and 2 others
PMID 28616126WHAT IT FOUND
When two adults had to grasp objects together, adults with more autistic traits waited less for a partner and adjusted less to the assigned role.
Coordination suffered, but accuracy stayed similar.
Key findings
01Pairs were less synchronized when they had to make opposite movements than when they made the same movements.
02In same-movement trials, neurotypical participants in the adaptive role waited for their partner, while ASC participants in the adaptive role started at the same time rather than waiting.
03The more autistic traits a participant had, the faster they initiated adaptive movements and the slower they initiated instructed movements.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for OTs
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What it does not show
The study only tested ASC individuals without cognitive disability, and the ASC group was small (N = 16), so it may not represent the wider autism spectrum. Two pairs were excluded for outlier kinematic or behavioral values, and one pair was excluded for data loss. IQ scores were missing for one neurotypical and two ASC participants, and normal-range IQ was inferred because they had master's degrees. Parent ADI-R interviews were not possible for five ASC participants. Recruitment was by convenience, with 6 females and 26 males. In 9 pairs the participants already knew each other, while in 7 other pairs participants were familiarized for 1 hour before the experiment. The study did not test neurotypical participants paired with neurotypical partners.
Declared interests
The study was funded by Ministero della Salute. The supplied text gives no further author conflict-of-interest declaration.
The easy way to misread this
Do not conclude that this task measures everyday cooperation or that role-based timing problems can be treated by this approach. The study used a laboratory bottle-grasping task in a small sample of adults with ASC without cognitive disability, and it did not test any intervention.