Interpersonal motor synchrony (IMS) is the is the spontaneous, voluntary or instructed coordination of movements between interacting partners. Throughout the life cycle, it shapes social exchanges and interplays with intra- and inter-individual characteristics that may diverge in Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). In the present systematic review and meta-analysis, we summarise the extant literature and quantify the evidence about reduced IMS in dyads including at least one participant with a diagnosis of ASD. Twelve experimental studies (N=463 participants) were systematically selected and objective measures of IMS with an in situ neurotypical partner were retrieved for ASD and control groups. Results indicated that both small and large effect sizes (i.e., Hedge’s g) could be consistent with the data. Uncertainty on the true effect size is discussed relative to the type of measures used and age range considered. We further propose that sharing similar experiences of the world might help to synchronise with one another. Future studies should not only assess whether reduced IMS is consistently observed in ASD-TD dyads and how this shapes social exchanges, but also explore whether and how ASD-ASD dyads synchronise during interpersonal exchanges.
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