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Uncoupling Between Multisensory Temporal Function and Nonverbal Turn-Taking in Autism Spectrum Disorder

The integration of information across distinct modalities enhances perceptual abilities. An ecologically important role of multisensory integration is in scaffolding verbal communication, which relies upon the precise temporal integration of auditory and visual cues. However, the role of (multi)sensory function in supporting another important aspect of communication, namely, nonverbal communication, is unknown. Here, individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and a group of typically developing (TD) participants performed a simultaneity judgment task to index their audiovisual temporal acuity for speech stimuli. Further, under a naturalistic scenario, nonverbal synchrony between the participant and a naïve experimenter was measured. Automated motion analysis was performed to quantify movements of different body-parts. Results demonstrate a wider window of audiovisual temporal integration for ASD participants in comparison to their TD counterparts. Moreover, ASD individuals performed less complex movements and demonstrated less nonverbal synchrony during the interactive exchange. Lastly, multisensory temporal acuity significantly predicted the synchrony in hand and head movements between TD participants and the experimenter, but not between the ASD participants and the experimenter. Taken together, the results suggest an important role for multisensory perceptual abilities in shaping nonverbal communication between dyads and highlight the important role of perceptual systems in supporting social interactive skills.