Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a social disorder most commonly characterized by non-typical communication patterns, restricted or obsessive interests, a preference for routine, and language delays. ASD is generally detectable around three years of age, when cognitive or social deficits start to become more apparent. For children with autism, it’s very important to receive a diagnosis in a timely manner and seek treatment quickly, as this can make it easier to create coping strategies during school-going years.
Some interest has been generated surrounding the current theory that atypical sensory responses may precede the more hallmark symptoms of autism spectrum disorder. If it is possible to predict an autism diagnosis before the more debilitating symptoms start, guidance and support could be provided to families before behavioral intervention is needed.
Sensory sensitivities can be addressed via occupational therapy, accommodations, and other treatments.
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A recent study conducted by researchers at the University of Southern California and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill sought to understand what the specific sensory profile of children with autism looked like, and whether it could be differentiated from their non-autistic counterparts. They did so by looking at three types of atypical sensory responses associated with ASD:
- Hyper-responsiveness (HYPER), or being overly responsive to sensory stimuli, such as the feeling of a sock seam causing extreme discomfort.
- Hypo-responsiveness (HYPO), or being under-responsive to sensory stimuli, such as not responding to pain.
- Sensory interests, repetitions, and seeking behaviors (SIRS), such as hand flapping or spinning.
The researchers found that at baseline, children with an autism diagnosis (the ASD-AT group) scored significantly higher in these three sensory sensitivities than children without an autism diagnosis. In other words, at infancy, children with autism were already showing more sensory symptoms than their non-autistic counterparts. By the end of the study when participants were about 6-7 years old, parent reports showed that ASD-AT children had experienced an increase in HYPER and HYPO symptoms, but not SIRS.
Further, they found that parent education level was more predictive of children’s sensory trajectory than race or sex. In parents with higher levels of education, sensory sensitivities tend to decrease with age. A possible explanation for this is that parents with more education may have access to more resources to treat ASD, or that they may be able to spot deficits earlier.
Whichever is the case, the evidence does suggest that environmental influences may have more of an impact than other, more innate characteristics. While further research must be done to better our understanding of Autism Spectrum Disorder, these findings provide important implications for the future of early detection.
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