Interrupted Time Experience in Autism Spectrum Disorder: Empirical Evidence from Content Analysis.
Adults with autism may feel time 'break' when routines fail, so build gradual flexibility drills into your sessions.
01Research in Context
What this study did
Trembath et al. (2019) asked adults with autism how they feel about time. The team read through personal stories and looked for common themes.
They found that many adults build tight routines and map out the future. These habits help them keep the present feeling smooth and safe.
What they found
When a routine breaks, the adults feel distress. They describe time as 'interrupted' and struggle to reset.
Planning every step ahead is their way to stop that break from happening.
How this fits with other research
Butler et al. (2021) show that simple DRO can cut stereotypy in adults with autism. Their work hints that rigid behavior can change, even later in life.
Maryniak et al. (2025) found that typical problem-solving training does not lift quality of life for autistic kids. The kids keep using the same stiff plans, just like the adults in David’s study.
Nazarali et al. (2009) saw that autistic people can set a movement plan but freeze when the plan must switch. All three studies point to one theme: change itself is the hard part.
Why it matters
If you work with adults who guard every minute of their day, probe for 'interruption' triggers during intake. Add small, planned changes into sessions so the client practices tolerating a shift in a safe space. Over time, this tiny exposure can widen the window of flexibility without wiping out the comfort of structure.
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02At a glance
03Original abstract
Although the experience of time is of central relevance for psychopathology, qualitative approaches to study the inner experience of time have been largely neglected in autism research. We present results from qualitative data acquired from 26 adults with high functioning autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Employing inductive content analysis we identified a distinct pattern of interrupted time experience in ASD. Individuals with ASD seemed to implement structured and routine behavior by future planning to guarantee that the present passed uninterrupted. We reason that the success of corresponding compensatory mechanisms determines the development of distress and noticeable symptoms. Considering recent theories on Bayesian perceptual inference we relate the syndrome of interrupted time experience to the putative neuronal mechanisms underlying time experience.
Journal of autism and developmental disorders, 2019 · doi:10.1007/s10803-018-3771-y