The maintenance of bipedal stance is contingent upon the integration of sensory information from visual, vestibular and proprioceptive channels. Sensory integration operates as a linear feedback process in which each channel is designated a degree of weighting which fluctuates in accordance with environmental changes. Following a sudden change in the environment, reweighting of information must occur to ensure adequate stability. Recent studies have shown that this process is likely to be more challenging for individuals with ASD compared with typically developed controls. The aim of the proposed study is to assess the extent to which ASD affects sensory reweighting during postural transitions and to examine the mechanisms which underpin these deficits. Two participant groups, typically developed young adults and young adults with ASD, will be tested by means of sway referencing using the Neurocom Balance Master. It is hypothesised that the magnitude of body sway during transitions and time period to return to baseline will be greater for participants with ASD. Participant proprioceptive acuity and muscle co-contraction will also be examined in order to establish whether underlying impairments within the channels are the source of deficiencies or if the aetiology is primarily routed in reweighting capabilities.
Interagency Autism Coordinating Committee (IACC)
Autism Research Database (AFD)
