The rubber hand illusion in children with autism spectrum disorders: delayed influence of combined tactile and visual input on proprioception
Open accessAbstract
In the rubber hand illusion, perceived hand ownership can be transferred to a rubber hand after synchronous visual and tactile stimulation. Perceived body ownership and self–other relation are foundational for development of self-awareness, imitation, and empathy, which are all affected in autism spectrum disorders (ASD). We examined the rubber hand illusion in children with and without ASD. Children with ASD were initially less susceptible to the illusion than the comparison group, yet showed the effects of the illusion after 6 minutes. Delayed susceptibility to the illusion may result from atypical multisensory temporal integration and/or an unusually strong reliance on proprioception. Children with ASD who displayed less empathy were significantly less likely to experience the illusion than those with more intact ability to express empathy. A better understanding of body representation in ASD may elucidate neural underpinnings of social deficits, thus informing future intervention approaches.
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ASD individuals are less susceptible to visual-tactile illusions.
“ASD individuals are less susceptible to visual-tactile illusions (Cascio et al., 2012, Greenfield et al., 2015)”
From The impact of atypical sensory processing on social impairments in autism spectrum disorder (2018) · cites this paper as Cascio et al., 2012
Individuals with ASD take longer to show the effects of the rubber hand illusion.
“Individuals with ASD also take longer to show the effects of the illusion (Cascio et al., 2012)”
From The impact of atypical sensory processing on social impairments in autism spectrum disorder (2018) · cites this paper as Cascio et al., 2012
Among individuals with ASD, decreased sensitivity to the rubber hand illusion is associated with low levels of empathy.
“Among individuals with ASD, decreased sensitivity to the illusion has been associated with low levels of empathy (Cascio et al., 2012).”
From The impact of atypical sensory processing on social impairments in autism spectrum disorder (2018) · cites this paper as Cascio et al., 2012
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- Authors
- Cascio, C. J., Foss-Feig, J. H., Burnette, C. P., Heacock, J. L., & Cosby, A. A.
- Affiliations
- Vanderbilt University (US)
- Vanderbilt University, USA
- University of New Mexico (US)
- Venue
- Autism
- Publisher
- SAGE Publications
- Published
- 2012-03-07
- Volume
- 16
- Issue
- 4
- Pages
- 406-419
- ISSN
- 1362-3613 (ISSN-L)
- 1461-7005
- PMC
- PMC3529180
- OpenAlex
- W2164541626
- Cited by
- 184
- References
- 53
- Citations by year
- 2026: 9 · 2025: 12 · 2024: 6 · 2023: 14 · 2022: 11 · 2021: 21 · 2020: 15 · 2019: 24 · 2018: 13 · 2017: 18 · 2016: 15 · 2015: 14 · 2014: 7 · 2013: 4 · 2012: 1
- FWCI
- 4.26
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- green
- www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
- Locations
- Autism (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Europe PMC (PubMed Central) (acceptedVersion)
- PubMed Central (acceptedVersion)
- UNM’s Digital Repository (University of New Mexico) (submittedVersion)
- Funders
- National Institutes of Health
- National Institute of Mental Health (K01MH090232)
- National Center for Research Resources (KL2RR024977, TL1RR024978, UL1RR024975)
- Topics
- Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Autism Spectrum Disorder Research
- Physical Sciences › Computer Science › Human-Computer Interaction › Virtual Reality Applications and Impacts
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Experimental and Cognitive Psychology › Multisensory perception and integration
- Keywords
- rubber hand illusion, autism spectrum disorder, children, body ownership, proprioception, multisensory integration, empathy, self-other perception, representation of the body, social dysfunction
- MeSH terms
- Adolescent, Body Image, Child, Child Development Disorders, Pervasive, Empathy, Female, Humans, Illusions, Male, Perceptual Disorders, Proprioception, Visual Perception, Case-Control Studies, Touch Perception
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