Cognitive Psychology Commons^™

Evidence Of Embodied Social Competence During Conversation In High Functioning Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder, Veronica Romero, Paula Fitzpatrick, Stephanie Roulier, Amie Duncan, Michael J. Richardson, R. C. Schmidt

Psychology Department Faculty Works

Even high functioning children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) exhibit impairments that affect their ability to carry out and maintain effective social interactions in multiple contexts. One aspect of subtle nonverbal communication that might play a role in this impairment is the whole-body motor coordination that naturally arises between people during conversation. The current study aimed to measure the time-dependent, coordinated whole-body movements between children with ASD and a clinician during a conversational exchange using tools of nonlinear dynamics. Given the influence that subtle interpersonal coordination has on social interaction feelings, we expected there to be important associations between the …