Impaired vitality form recognition in autism

Along with the understanding of the goal of an action (what is done) and the intention underlying it (why it is done), social interactions largely depend on the appraisal of the action from the dynamics of the movement: how it is performed (its vitality form). Do individuals with autism, especially children, possess this capacity? Here we show that, unlike typically developing individuals, individuals with autism reveal severe deficits in recognizing vitality forms, and their capacity to appraise them does not improve with age. Deficit in vitality form recognition appears, therefore, to be a newly recognized trait marker of autism. (C) 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.