Time perception in autistic adults: Interval and event timing judgments do not differ from nonautistics

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Psychology
• Autism Research

Background:

• Autism is often associated with proposed timing deficits.
• Previous research on timing in autism has yielded inconsistent findings.
• The specific nature of these potential timing issues remains unclear.

Purpose of the Study:

• To systematically investigate timing processes in autistic adults.
• To examine basic duration perception, clock functions, and event timing.
• To explore the relationship between objective timing performance and self-reported autistic traits.

Main Methods:

• A comprehensive battery of auditory and visual timing tasks was administered.
• Participants included autistic (n=58) and non-autistic (n=91) adults matched for key demographics.
• Scalar expectancy theory provided the theoretical framework for the study.

Main Results:

• No significant differences in objective timing performance were found between autistic and non-autistic adults.
• Self-reported timing behaviors differed between groups, but objective performance did not.
• Exploratory analyses showed weak correlations between timing measures and autistic traits.

Conclusions:

• The study provides no clear evidence for impaired timing performance in autistic adults.
• Timing deficits may not be a core, measurable feature of autism across all individuals.
• Further research is needed to understand the complex relationship between autism and time perception.