Brief Report: Specificity of Interpersonal Synchrony Deficits to Autism Spectrum Disorder and Its Potential for Digitally Assisted Diagnostics

TLDR

Diagnosing autism spectrum disorders in adults is difficult because no specific markers exist. The study examined whether interpersonal synchrony, known to be reduced in ASD, could improve diagnostic accuracy. Interpersonal synchrony was measured objectively from videos of diagnostic interviews in a representative referral population from two specialized autism outpatient clinics. Significant reductions in interpersonal synchrony were observed in interactions with individuals later diagnosed with ASD (n = 16) compared to non‑diagnosed individuals (n = 23), indicating that digitally enhanced diagnostics could improve ASD detection, though larger studies are needed.

Abstract

Abstract Reliably diagnosing autism spectrum disorders (ASD) in adulthood poses a challenge to clinicians due to the absence of specific diagnostic markers. This study investigated the potential of interpersonal synchrony (IPS), which has been found to be reduced in ASD, to augment the diagnostic process. IPS was objectively assessed in videos of diagnostic interviews in a representative referral population from two specialized autism outpatient clinics. In contrast to the current screening tools that could not reliably differentiate, we found a significant reduction of IPS in interactions with individuals later diagnosed with ASD (n = 16) as opposed to those not receiving a diagnosis (n = 23). While these findings need to be validated in larger samples, they nevertheless underline the potential of digitally-enhanced diagnostic processes for ASD.