Functional but Inefficient Kinesthetic Motor Imagery in Adolescents with Autism Spectrum Disorder.

Chen et al. (2018) asked 24 autistic teens and 24 typical teens to imagine rotating their hands. Each kid sat at a screen and decided if a pictured hand was left or right. The twist: some hands were at awkward angles, so kids had to mentally twist their own hand to match.

They measured how long each child took. If autistic kids use motor imagery like peers, times should match. If not, times would differ.

Autistic teens got the right answer almost as often as peers, but they took much longer. The gap grew as the hand angle got weirder. The skill is there; the speed is not.

Girls in both groups were a touch faster than boys, but the autism delay stayed.

Sasson et al. (2022) saw the same slow-motion pattern when autistic teens ran on a treadmill. Their strides wobbled more and wasted energy. Together the two papers show the slowness is not just in the head—it leaks into gross motor skills too.

Spruijt et al. (2013) tested kids with cerebral palsy on imagined walking. Those kids kept the same pace in mind and body, a flat null result. The autism study finds the opposite: mind is slower even when body strength is normal. The methods match, the populations differ, so the delay is tied to autism, not to every motor diagnosis.

Ciaramelli et al. (2018) asked autistic youth to describe future events. They gave fewer vivid details. Ya-Ting’s task is simpler—just rotate a hand—but both studies show the inner movie plays at reduced speed. The imagery deficit spans from basic motion to life stories.

When you say “picture yourself opening the locker,” give the teen twice the wait time you think they need. The picture will form, just slower. Use real photos, video models, or physical practice to cut the load on pure imagination. Build fluency with short, daily 2-minute imagery drills—speed comes with reps, not louder prompts.