Physiological Synchrony Analysis in a Multi-Person Setting: Unveiling Connections in Autism Family Therapy

Interpersonal physiological synchrony (PS) is a process that emerges when the physiological responses of two or more individuals show signs of co-regulation and synchronization. PS shows promising relationships with social behavior, emerging as a potential therapeutic target for populations facing social limitations. Here we propose a case study where we investigate PS in a family with an individual in the autism spectrum (AS) while they undergo a narrative family therapy session. Electrodermal activity was measured simultaneously in all family members and a windowed correlation algorithm was used to extract the level of interpersonal synchronization for each dyad throughout the session. Time windows were categorized as "difficulties" or "resources" based on the therapy session content at that time. Synchronization values compared between those two classes for each dyad showed synchronization levels significantly different between classes for two dyads, which relates to the neuropsychological assessment of the elements of those dyads. Results show a promising prospect for the multi-person PS assessment, reiterating the need to uncover the processes that give rise to physiological linkage.