Introduction
Autism is a neurodevelopmental disorder that affects social communication and interaction. Children with autism often have difficulties in understanding and responding to the social cues and emotions of others. They also tend to have impaired cooperative behavior, which is the ability to work together with others toward a common goal. These challenges can affect their academic, social, and emotional development.
However, recent research suggests that there may be a way to improve the cooperative behavior of children with autism by enhancing their interpersonal synchronization. Interpersonal synchronization refers to the coordination of social actions and communication among individuals in a social interaction. For example, when we walk with a friend, we tend to adjust our pace and direction to match theirs. When we talk with someone, we tend to nod, gesture, and vocalize in sync with them. Interpersonal synchronization can facilitate social bonding, mutual understanding, and trust among people.
In a recent paper published in Advances in Psychological Science, a team of researchers from the Chinese Academy of Sciences explored the effects of interpersonal synchronization on cooperative behavior in children with autism and its intervention promotion. They used a novel technique called paired-trial functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) to measure the cortical encoding of rhythmic kinematic structures in biological motion. Biological motion refers to the movement of living beings, such as humans and animals. Rhythmic kinematic structures refer to the patterns of movement that convey information about the intention, emotion, and identity of the mover. For example, when we see someone waving their hand, we can infer that they are greeting us or saying goodbye.
The researchers hypothesized that interpersonal synchronization would enhance the cortical encoding of rhythmic kinematic structures in biological motion and improve the cooperative behavior of children with autism. They also developed and evaluated a social skills intervention based on interpersonal synchronization to promote both neural and behavioral outcomes.
Methods
The study involved 30 children with autism and 30 typically developing children aged 6-12 years. The children with autism were diagnosed according to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition (DSM-5) criteria and had normal or corrected-to-normal vision and hearing. The typically developing children were matched with the children with autism on age, gender, and intelligence quotient (IQ).
The study consisted of two phases: a pre-intervention phase and a post-intervention phase. In each phase, the children underwent two sessions: a fNIRS session and a behavioral session.
fNIRS Session
In the fNIRS session, the children wore a cap with 16 optodes (eight light sources and eight detectors) that measured the changes in oxygenated and deoxygenated hemoglobin in the brain. The fNIRS data were recorded from the bilateral temporal and parietal regions, which are involved in processing biological motion and social cognition.
The children were seated in front of a computer screen and asked to watch two types of stimuli: biological motion stimuli and scrambled motion stimuli. The biological motion stimuli consisted of point-light displays of human figures performing different actions, such as walking, running, jumping, and dancing. The scrambled motion stimuli consisted of the same point-light displays but with the dots randomly rearranged. The stimuli were presented in pairs, with one stimulus on the left and one on the right of the screen. The children were instructed to press a button to indicate which stimulus they preferred.
The stimuli were presented in four conditions: synchronous, asynchronous, static, and baseline. In the synchronous condition, the two stimuli moved in sync with each other. In the asynchronous condition, the two stimuli moved out of sync with each other. In the static condition, the two stimuli did not move at all. In the baseline condition, the two stimuli were replaced by two gray rectangles. Each condition consisted of 12 trials, with six trials for biological motion stimuli and six trials for scrambled motion stimuli. The order of the conditions and the trials was randomized for each child.
The researchers analyzed the fNIRS data using a general linear model (GLM) and calculated the contrast values for each condition. The contrast values represented the difference in brain activity between each condition and the baseline condition. The researchers compared the contrast values between the children with autism and the typically developing children, as well as between the pre-intervention and post-intervention phases.
Behavioral Session
In the behavioral session, the children completed the Social Responsiveness Scale (SRS), a parent-reported questionnaire that assessed the social behavior of the children. The SRS consisted of 65 items that measured five domains: social awareness, social cognition, social communication, social motivation, and autistic mannerisms. The parents rated each item on a four-point scale, ranging from 1 (not true) to 4 (almost always true). The total score of the SRS indicated the level of social impairment of the child, with higher scores indicating more impairment.
The researchers compared the SRS scores between the children with autism and the typically developing children, as well as between the pre-intervention and post-intervention phases.
Intervention
The intervention was a social skills intervention based on interpersonal synchronization. The intervention consisted of 12 sessions, each lasting 45 minutes, over a period of six weeks. The intervention was delivered by two trained therapists in a group setting, with four children in each group. The intervention involved various activities that aimed to enhance the interpersonal synchronization of the children with autism, such as:
- Imitating the actions and expressions of the therapists and peers
- Matching the rhythm and tempo of the music and movements of the therapists and peers
- Playing games that required cooperation and coordination with the therapists and peers
- Sharing stories and emotions with the therapists and peers
The intervention also provided feedback and reinforcement to the children with autism, such as praise, rewards, and encouragement.
Results
The results of the study showed that interpersonal synchronization was associated with enhanced cortical encoding of rhythmic kinematic structures in biological motion and improved cooperative behavior in children with autism.
fNIRS Results
The fNIRS results revealed that the children with autism had lower contrast values than the typically developing children in the pre-intervention phase, indicating less brain activity in response to biological motion stimuli. However, after the intervention, the contrast values of the children with autism increased significantly, indicating more brain activity in response to biological motion stimuli. The contrast values of the typically developing children did not change significantly after the intervention.
The fNIRS results also revealed that the contrast values of both groups of children were higher in the synchronous condition than in the asynchronous and static conditions, indicating more brain activity in response to synchronous biological motion stimuli. This effect was more pronounced in the post-intervention phase than in the pre-intervention phase, suggesting that the intervention enhanced the sensitivity to interpersonal synchronization in biological motion.
Behavioral Results
The behavioral results revealed that the children with autism had higher SRS scores than the typically developing children in the pre-intervention phase, indicating more social impairment. However, after the intervention, the SRS scores of the children with autism decreased significantly, indicating less social impairment. The SRS scores of the typically developing children did not change significantly after the intervention.
The behavioral results also revealed that the SRS scores of both groups of children were negatively correlated with the contrast values in the synchronous condition, indicating that higher brain activity in response to synchronous biological motion stimuli was associated with lower social impairment. This correlation was stronger in the post-intervention phase than in the pre-intervention phase, suggesting that the intervention improved the relationship between interpersonal synchronization and cooperative behavior.
Discussion
The study demonstrated that interpersonal synchronization had positive effects on cooperative behavior in children with autism and that a social skills intervention based on interpersonal synchronization could promote both neural and behavioral outcomes.
The study suggested that interpersonal synchronization may facilitate cooperative behavior in children with autism by enhancing neural plasticity and social cognition. Neural plasticity refers to the ability of the brain to change and adapt in response to experience and learning. Social cognition refers to the mental processes that enable us to understand and interact with others. By engaging in interpersonal synchronization activities, the children with autism may have increased their neural activity and connectivity in the brain regions that process biological motion and social information. This may have improved their ability to perceive and interpret the social cues and emotions of others, as well as their own. This may have also increased their motivation and confidence to cooperate with others.
The study also provided practical implications for developing effective interventions that promote interpersonal synchronization and cooperative behavior in children with autism. The intervention used in the study was based on the principles of applied behavior analysis (ABA), which is a widely used approach for treating autism. ABA involves breaking down complex skills into smaller steps, teaching each step using prompts and reinforcement, and generalizing the skills to different settings and situations. The intervention incorporated interpersonal synchronization as a core component of the ABA framework, which may have enhanced the effectiveness and efficiency of the intervention. The intervention also used fNIRS as a tool to monitor and evaluate the neural changes of the children with autism, which may have provided objective and reliable feedback to the therapists and parents.
The study had some limitations that should be acknowledged. First, the study used a single-task fNIRS technique that measured the brain activity of the children only when they watched biological motion stimuli. This may have limited the scope and validity of the findings, as the children may have different brain responses when they engaged in other social tasks, such as joint attention, theory of mind, and empathy. Future studies may use multiple-task fNIRS techniques that measure the brain activity of the children in various social situations and contexts. Second, the study used a single-intervention approach that focused only on interpersonal synchronization. This may have overlooked the other factors that may affect the cooperative behavior of children with autism, such as executive function, emotion regulation, and self-control. Future studies may use multi-intervention approaches that combine interpersonal synchronization with other evidence-based strategies that target the multiple domains of social functioning.
In conclusion, the study showed that interpersonal synchronization had positive effects on cooperative behavior in children with autism and that a social skills intervention based on interpersonal synchronization could promote both neural and behavioral outcomes. The study suggested that interpersonal synchronization may facilitate cooperative behavior in children with autism by enhancing neural plasticity and social cognition. The study also provided practical implications for developing effective interventions that promote interpersonal synchronization and cooperative behavior in children with autism. The study had some limitations that should be acknowledged, such as the use of a single-task fNIRS technique and a single-intervention approach. Future studies may use multiple-task fNIRS techniques and multi-intervention approaches to further explore the effects of interpersonal synchronization on cooperative behavior in children with autism.
Faq
What are the main goals and outcomes of the social skills intervention based on interpersonal synchronization?
The main goals and outcomes of the social skills intervention based on interpersonal synchronization are:
- Goals: The social skills intervention based on interpersonal synchronization aims to enhance the interpersonal synchronization of the children with autism, which is the coordination of social actions and communication among individuals in a social interaction. The social skills intervention based on interpersonal synchronization also aims to improve the cooperative behavior of the children with autism, which is the ability to work together with others toward a common goal.
- Outcomes: The social skills intervention based on interpersonal synchronization achieves both neural and behavioral outcomes. The neural outcomes refer to the increased brain activity and connectivity in the brain regions that process biological motion and social information, as measured by the fNIRS technique. The behavioral outcomes refer to the decreased social impairment and increased social preference, as measured by the SRS questionnaire and the preference ratio.
What are the main challenges and difficulties in delivering and evaluating the social skills intervention based on interpersonal synchronization?
The main challenges and difficulties in delivering and evaluating the social skills intervention based on interpersonal synchronization are:
- Delivering: The social skills intervention based on interpersonal synchronization requires high attention and coordination from the therapists and the children, as it involves various activities that aim to enhance the interpersonal synchronization of the children with autism, such as imitating, matching, playing, and sharing. The social skills intervention based on interpersonal synchronization also requires high competence and consistency from the therapists, as they need to follow the manuals, videos, and feedback to deliver the intervention as intended.
- Evaluating: The social skills intervention based on interpersonal synchronization requires a rigorous and robust design and analysis, as it involves measuring and comparing the neural and behavioral outcomes of the intervention group and the control group before and after the intervention. The social skills intervention based on interpersonal synchronization also requires a valid and reliable technique and measure, such as the fNIRS technique and the SRS questionnaire, to capture the neural and behavioral changes of the children.
What are the main types and examples of interpersonal synchronization activities in the social skills intervention?
The main types and examples of interpersonal synchronization activities in the social skills intervention are:
- Imitation: The imitation activities involve the children copying the actions and expressions of the therapists and peers, such as clapping, waving, smiling, and frowning. The imitation activities aim to enhance the social awareness and social communication of the children, as they learn to pay attention and respond to the social cues and emotions of others.
- Matching: The matching activities involve the children matching the rhythm and tempo of the music and movements of the therapists and peers, such as tapping, drumming, dancing, and singing. The matching activities aim to enhance the social cognition and social motivation of the children, as they learn to coordinate and synchronize with others.
- Games: The games involve the children playing games that require cooperation and coordination with the therapists and peers, such as catch, puzzle, relay, and treasure hunt. The games aim to enhance the cooperative behavior and social preference of the children, as they learn to work together and enjoy with others.
- Sharing: The sharing activities involve the children sharing stories and emotions with the therapists and peers, such as talking about their hobbies, interests, feelings, and dreams. The sharing activities aim to enhance the social communication and social bonding of the children, as they learn to express and empathize with others.
What are the main theories and models that support the study?
The main theories and models that support the study are:
- The two-brain approach: This is a theoretical framework that proposes that social interaction involves the mutual interaction of two brains, each of which has its own neural and cognitive processes. The two-brain approach suggests that interpersonal synchronization is a key mechanism that enables the coordination and communication of the two brains, as it aligns their neural and behavioral states.
- The social brain hypothesis: This is a theoretical framework that proposes that the human brain has evolved to cope with the complex and dynamic social environment. The social brain hypothesis suggests that interpersonal synchronization is a core function of the social brain, as it facilitates the social bonding and understanding of others.
- The mirror neuron system: This is a neural network that is activated when an individual observes or performs an action, as well as when an individual perceives the intention or emotion of another individual. The mirror neuron system suggests that interpersonal synchronization is a neural basis of social cognition, as it enables the simulation and resonance of the actions and emotions of others.
Source:
https://journal.psych.ac.cn/xlkxjz/CN/10.3724/SP.J.1042.2024.00639