Sensory processing in adults with autism spectrum disorders

TLDR

Unusual sensory processing is common in autism spectrum disorders, yet most studies have examined children rather than adults. The study aimed to assess sensory processing in adults with ASD using the Adult/Adolescent Sensory Profile questionnaire. The authors used the 60‑item Adult/Adolescent Sensory Profile self‑report questionnaire to evaluate sensory processing in adults with ASD. Nearly all participants (94.4 %) reported extreme sensory processing abnormalities, with marked within‑group variability, indicating that atypical sensory processing persists across adulthood and has implications for diagnosis and treatment.

Abstract

Unusual sensory processing has been widely reported in autism spectrum disorders (ASDs); however, the majority of research in this area has focused on children. The present study assessed sensory processing in adults with ASD using the Adult/Adolescent Sensory Profile (AASP), a 60-item self-report questionnaire assessing levels of sensory processing in everyday life. Results demonstrated that sensory abnormalities were prevalent in ASD, with 94.4 percent of the ASD sample reporting extreme levels of sensory processing on at least one sensory quadrant of the AASP. Furthermore, analysis of the patterns of sensory processing impairments revealed striking within-group variability in the ASD group, suggesting that individuals with ASD could experience very different, yet similarly severe, sensory processing abnormalities. These results suggest that unusual sensory processing in ASD extends across the lifespan and have implications regarding both the treatment and the diagnosis of ASD in adulthood.