Auditory-motor rhythm synchronization in children with autism spectrum disorder Ana Tryfon a,b, *, Nicholas E. Foster a,b , Tia Ouimet a,b , Krissy Doyle-Thomas c , Evdokia Anagnostou c , Megha Sharda a , Krista L. Hyde a,b , for NeuroDevNet ASD imaging group 1 a International Laboratory for Brain Music and Sound Research (BRAMS), Pavillon 1420 Mont-Royal, Department of Psychology, University of Montreal, C.P. 6128, succ. Centre-Ville, Montreal, Quebec, H3C 3J7, Canada b Faculty of Medicine, McIntyre Medical Building, McGill University, 3655 Sir William Osler, Montreal, Quebec H3G 1Y6, Canada c Holland Bloorview Kids Rehabilitation Hospital, University of Toronto, 150 Kilgour Road, Toronto, Ontario, M4G 1R8, Canada ARTICLE INFO Article history: Received 31 May 2016 Received in revised form 21 December 2016 Accepted 22 December 2016 Number of reviews completed is 3 Available online xxx Keywords: Autism Auditory Motor Rhythm Synchronization Development ABSTRACT Background: Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is characterized by difficulties in social and communication skills as well as atypical sensory perception and motor skills. Sensorimotor abilities such as auditory-motor integration are essential for social interaction and communication. The goal of this research was to investigate the development of auditory- motor rhythm synchronization for the first time in ASD versus typically-developing (TD) children. Methods: Participants were 31 boys with ASD and 23 TD boys that were matched in age and IQ. Participants were tested on an auditory-motor rhythm synchronization task in which they tapped in synchrony with rhythms of varying metrical complexity. Results: Both children with ASD and TD performed similarly on this task and both groups performed better with age. Conclusions: This work demonstrates that non-verbal rhythm synchronization is intact in ASD over the course of childhood development. This research serves to better understand sensorimotor interactions in ASD and to better define sensory phenotypes in ASD. © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. 1. Introduction The coordination and regulation of sensory and movement information is essential for social interaction and communication (Donnellan, Hill, & Leary, 2012). In particular, auditory-motor integration is critical for acquiring complex skills such as speech, language and musical proficiency (Zatorre, Chen, & Penhune, 2007). However, many individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) have atypical sensory (Leekam, Nieto, Libby, Wing, & Gould, 2007) and motor skills (Gowen & Hamilton, 2013; Green et al., 2009). Studies on auditory-motor integration in ASD are limited, but some work has shown impairments in the context of complex and speech-related auditory-motor tasks in ASD. However, it is unclear how individuals with ASD perform on more basic and non-verbal auditory-motor rhythm synchronization tasks. Moreover, the * Corresponding author at: International Laboratory for Brain Music and Sound Research (BRAMS), Pavillon 1420 Mont-Royal, Department of Psychology, University of Montreal, C.P. 6128, succ. Centre-Ville, Montreal, Quebec, H3C 3J7, Canada. E-mail address: ana.tryfon@mail.mcgill.ca (A. Tryfon). 1 http://www.neurodevnet.ca/research/asd http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.rasd.2016.12.004 1750-9467/© 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. Research in Autism Spectrum Disorders 35 (2017) 51–61 Contents lists available at ScienceDirect Research in Autism Spectrum Disorders journal homepage: http://ees.elsevier.com/RASD/default.asp