Search

This study investigated motor preparation and action-consequence prediction using the lateralized readiness potential (LRP). Motor impairments are common in autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), which commonly co-occur. Alterations in predictive processes may impact motor planning. Whether motor planning deficits are characteristic of ASD broadly or magnified in the context of co-morbid ADHD is unclear. ASD children with (ASD + ADHD; n = 12) and without (ASD - ADHD; n = 9) comorbid ADHD and typical controls (n = 29) performed voluntary motor actions that either did or did not result in auditory consequences. ASD - ADHD children demonstrated LRP enhancement when their action produced an effect while ASD + ADHD children had attenuated responses regardless of action-effect pairings. Findings suggest influence of ADHD comorbidity on motor preparation and prediction in ASD.

A common example of social differences in autism spectrum disorder is poor modulation of reciprocal gaze, including reduced duration of eye contact and difficulty detecting the aim of another's gaze. It remains unclear, however, whether such differences are specific to the social domain, or are instead indicative of broader alterations in processes of visual engagement and disengagement in autism spectrum disorder. To assess whether children with autism spectrum disorder experience altered engagement of visual attention, and whether such processes are specific to social stimuli, we implemented a gap-overlap eye-tracking paradigm consisting of both social and nonsocial images with children with autism spectrum disorder (n = 35) and typical development (n = 32). Children with autism spectrum disorder demonstrated a significantly reduced overall gap effect (i.e. difference in saccade latency to peripheral stimuli between overlap and gap trials) compared with the controls. This reduction spanned both social and nonsocial conditions. Our findings suggest that children with autism spectrum disorder experience alterations in general processes of engagement of visual attention, and that these alterations are not specific to the social domain, but do associate with cognitive functioning. Affected processes of visual engagement in autism spectrum disorder may contribute to features like poor reciprocal gaze, but social-specific symptoms of autism spectrum disorder likely originate from other subcortical processes or higher order cognition.

Despite growing public awareness of ASD, many caregivers of children with ASD struggle to find opportunities for participation in community activities with appropriate accommodations. The current study evaluated the experiences of individuals with ASD who attended immersive theater performances specifically designed for individuals with ASD. Parents and teachers of 256 children and adolescents completed questionnaires regarding their pre-show expectations and post-show satisfaction with the performance. Analyses revealed that, on average, parents' and teachers' levels of satisfaction significantly outweighed their pre-show expectations. Based on researcher observations, audience feedback, and past research, a list of best practices for successful theater programming for individuals with ASD was compiled with the goal of widespread dissemination to increase accessibility of theater performances for neurodiverse audiences.