Sensorimotor synchronization in children with autism spectrum disorder: The role of timing and modality

Impaired sensorimotor synchronization is observed in children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), yet the underlying mechanism of this impairment remains unclear. The current study investigated the impact of the inter-stimulus interval and the modality of stimulus on synchronization performance in children with ASD. Twenty-one high-functioning children with ASD and 21 typically developing (TD) children participated in a finger-tapping task. There were no significant group differences in age, gender, or IQ. Results showed that children with ASD exhibited greater asynchrony at longer time intervals and lower efficiency in multisensory integration compared to TD children. Notably, children with ASD were able to benefit from multisensory cues to improve their sensorimotor synchronization at longer intervals. Children's synchronization performance was correlated with total IQ, fluid reasoning, and visual spatial ability. These findings shed light on the underlying mechanism of atypical synchronization in children with ASD and provide a new avenue for developing targeted training on sensorimotor synchronization for children with ASD.