Investigating how Explicit Contextual Cues Affect Predictive Sensorimotor Control in Autistic Adults

• Published in: Journal of autism and developmental disorders Vol. 53; no. 11; pp. 4368 - 4381
• Main Authors: Arthur, Tom, Brosnan, Mark, Harris, David, Buckingham, Gavin, Wilson, Mark, Williams, Genevieve, Vine, Sam
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: New York Springer US 01-11-2023; Springer; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Adult; Autism; Autism Spectrum Disorder; Autism Spectrum Disorders; Autistic adults; Autistic Disorder; Behavioral Science and Psychology; Biomechanical Phenomena; Care and treatment; Child and School Psychology; Computer Simulation; Context Effect; Context effects (Psychology); Contextual information; Cues; Development and progression; Diagnosis; Evaluation; Humans; Kinematics; Neurosciences; Oculomotor integration; Original Paper; Pediatrics; Perceptual Impairments; Perceptual Motor Coordination; Perceptual-motor processes; Pervasive developmental disorders; Prior Learning; Program Effectiveness; Psychology; Public Health; Racquet Sports; Sensorimotor integration; Sensorimotor system; Task performance; Uncertainty; Virtual reality; Visual Perception; United Kingdom; Virtual Reality; Autism; Uncertainty; Volatility; Active inference; Prediction
• ISSN: 0162-3257; 1573-3432; 1573-3432
• DOI: 10.1007/s10803-022-05718-5

Research suggests that sensorimotor difficulties in autism could be reduced by providing individuals with explicit contextual information. To test this, we examined autistic visuomotor control during a virtual racquetball task, in which participants hit normal and unexpectedly-bouncy balls using a handheld controller. The probability of facing each type of ball was varied unpredictably over time. However, during cued trials, participants received explicit information about the likelihood of facing each uncertain outcome. When compared to neurotypical controls, autistic individuals displayed poorer task performance, atypical gaze profiles, and more restricted swing kinematics. These visuomotor patterns were not significantly affected by contextual cues, indicating that autistic people exhibit underlying differences in how prior information and environmental uncertainty are dynamically modulated during movement tasks.