Abstract
Children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) experience social challenges that may be linked to delayed motor skills and impaired motor timing. This study examined the motor timing abilities of children with ASD by identifying their spontaneous motor tempo (SMT) and their ability to synchronize finger tapping to rhythmic cues at their SMT as well as at tempos 10% and 20% slower and faster than their SMT. In addition, relationships between motor timing abilities and social responsiveness were explored in children with and without ASD. Sixty-seven children ages 6 to 10 years (32 with ASD, 35 without ASD) completed seven motor timing tasks on an iPad®. Caregivers completed the Social Responsiveness Scale–2nd Edition to identify their children’s level of social responsiveness.
Results showed that children with ASD demonstrated variability in SMT, though their SMT values did not differ significantly from children without ASD. Most children with ASD synchronized with above 80% accuracy to cues at their SMT and at tempo deviations; however, compared to children without ASD, their synchronization accuracy was significantly lower across all tempos. Among children with ASD, slower SMT and reduced synchronization accuracy were associated with greater impairment in social communication and social responsiveness. These relationships were not observed in children without ASD, for whom correlations between SMT and social responsiveness were statistically significant but not practically meaningful. Group differences emerged in correlations between SMT, synchronization accuracy, and social responsiveness subscales.
Findings indicate that the SMT of children with ASD ranged from 400 to 600 ms and that synchronization abilities appear to be intact in some children with ASD. Further, slower SMT and lower synchronization accuracy appear linked to social responsiveness difficulties in children with ASD and not in children without ASD. Assessing motor timing abilities may inform rhythm-based interventions and clarify how motor processes relate to social development in children with ASD.