Effect of Visual Information on Postural Control in Adults with Autism Spectrum Disorder

• Published in: Journal of autism and developmental disorders Vol. 49; no. 12; pp. 4731 - 4739
• Main Authors: Lim, Yi Huey, Lee, Hoe C., Falkmer, Torbjörn, Allison, Garry T., Tan, Tele, Lee, Wee Lih, Morris, Susan L.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: New York Springer US 01-12-2019; Springer; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Adolescent; Adult; Adults; Attention; Attention - physiology; Attention Control; Autism; Autism Spectrum Disorder - physiopathology; Autism Spectrum Disorder - psychology; Autistic adults; Autistic disorder; Behavioral Science and Psychology; Child and School Psychology; Cognition - physiology; Cognitive Processes; Comparative Analysis; Correlation; Female; Human Posture; Humans; Influence; Information processing; Male; Middle Aged; Motion; Motion detection; Neurosciences; Original Paper; Pediatrics; Perceptual-motor processes; Pervasive Developmental Disorders; Photic Stimulation - methods; Population studies; Postural balance; Postural Balance - physiology; Posture; Psychological aspects; Psychology; Public Health; Sensorimotor; Sensorimotor system; Sensory information; Sensory Integration; Sensory processes; Visual Aids; Visual field; Visual Fields - physiology; Visual Perception; Visual Perception - physiology; Visual processing; Young Adult; Australia; Visual processing; Autistic disorder; Sensory information; Postural balance; Attention; Sensorimotor
• ISSN: 0162-3257; 1573-3432; 1573-3432
• DOI: 10.1007/s10803-018-3634-6

Sensory processing difficulties affect the development of sensorimotor skills in individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). However, the effect of sensory information on postural control is unclear in the ASD adult population. The present study examined the effect of visual information on postural control as well as the attentional demands associated with postural control in fourteen adults with ASD and seventeen typically developed adults. The results showed that postural sway and attention demands of postural control were larger in adults with ASD than in typically developed adults. These findings indicate that visual processing used for postural control may be different in adults with ASD. Further research in visual field processing and visual motion processing may elucidate these sensorimotor differences.