Movement kinematics and cortical activation in children with and without autism spectrum disorder during sway synchrony tasks: an fNIRS study

Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) have difficulties with socially embedded movements such as imitation and interpersonal synchrony (IPS); however, related movement characteristics and underlying neural mechanisms are not well understood. This study compared the movement characteristics and cortical activation patterns of children with and without ASD during a whole-body, sway synchrony task when different levels of social information were provided. Thirty children with and without ASD (mean age: 12.6 years, SE: 0.6 years) participated. Movement kinematics and fNIRS-based cortical activation were recorded when the child observed an adult tester sway side to side, when they swayed solo, or when they swayed face to face with the tester with or without fingertips touching (i.e., IPS). Children with ASD showed reduced synchrony and smaller sway amplitude compared to typically developing children without ASD. They showed reduced cortical activation over the inferior frontal gyrus and superior temporal sulcus during IPS and did not show significant increase in cortical activation when more social information was provided. The cortical activation findings were significantly associated with IPS behaviors and social communication performance. The ASD-related neurobiomarkers identified in our study could be used as objective measures to evaluate intervention effects in children with ASD.