Time perception in autism spectrum disorders

Duration judgment has not been comprehensively examined in autism spectrum disorders (ASD), despite reports of perceptual idiosyncrasies in these individuals. Time estimation, production, and reproduction were tested in 25 individuals with ASD and 25 controls matched group-wise on age and IQ. Individuals with ASD performed comparably to matched controls in time estimation and production, but showed a tendency to outperform controls on a task of time reproduction. Time perception of large units is intact for children and adolescents with ASD. Time reproduction may represent a cognitive asset in ASD, likely reflecting strengths in eidetic-type imagery in which a pure recording of a stimulus is less affected by top-down modulation.