Using your senses

CARG is researching how different senses work together in the body and how diversity in a person’s sensory system can affect their coordination and postural control.

Movement is optimised when information from different sensory systems, such as visual (sight), vestibular (balance) and somatosensory (sensation) are integrated and work together.

Understanding how individuals on the autism spectrum process sensory information will provide important insight into the development of helpful interventions and positive clinical outcomes.

Related research

• Simulation of visual motion
• A different way of processing visual signals

Yi Huey Lim

The postural control system in individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder: Insights from exploring the effects of visual information on postural control

Research project

Dr Lim’s project examined the effects of static and dynamic visual information on postural control in individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). The results suggest that the visual-motor mechanism adopted by ASD individuals to control posture is different from typically-developed individuals. Evidence of postural control impairments was also identified in ASD individuals. The findings advance the understanding of postural control in ASD and may guide the development of effective postural control interventions for ASD individuals.

Figure 1: Using Curtin's Hub for Immersive Visualisation and eResearch (HIVE) to visualise the world through the eyes of someone with ASD.

Imagine you’re on a train and out of the window you see the train next to you start to move. For a moment, you’re unsure if you are moving or the train outside the window is moving. Perhaps this is the experience of people with autism most of the time!

Figure 2: We can now measure postural responses to visual motion in the field using optic flow fields presented in virtual reality (VR) goggles thanks to the HIVE at Curtin.

More information

Email: S.Morris@curtin.edu.au

Alex Goh

A different way of processing visual signals

Research project

Dr Goh investigated brain signals in response to unpredictable removal of vision. Adults on the autism spectrum respond with more neural activity in the visual and postural centres of the brain. Reweighting sensory information appears to require more neural resources in those on the autism spectrum. In the figures below, stronger colour indicates more brain activity.

Figure 3A. Typical adults.

Figure 3B. Adults with autism.

More information

Email: S.Morris@curtin.edu.au