Despite its popularity, the construct of biological motion (BM) and its putative anomalies in autism spectrum disorder (ASD) are not completely clarified. Here, we propose a new model describing distinct levels of BM processing, and we present a meta-analysis investigating BM perception in ASD. We screened 114 articles testing BM perception in ASD and typical developing peers. A general meta-analysis including all the selected studies (N=27) showed BM processing moderate deficit in ASD, but high heterogeneity. This heterogeneity was explored in different additional meta-analyses where studies were grouped according to different levels of BM processing (first-order/direct/instrumental) and the manipulation of low-level perceptual features (spatial/temporal). Results suggest that the most severe deficit in ASD is evident when perception of BM is serving a secondary purpose (e.g.,inferring intentionality/action/emotion) and, interestingly, that temporal dynamics could be an important factor in determining BM processing anomalies in ASD. In conclusion, this work questions the traditional understanding of BM anomalies in ASD and claims for a paradigm shift that deconstructs BM into distinct levels of processing and specific spatio-temporal subcomponents.