A comparison of autonomic, behavioral, and parent-report measures of sensory sensitivity in young children with autism

The present research compared responses to sensory stimuli among eight young children with autism and an age- and sex-matched typically developing control group, using autonomic (heart rate/HR) and a behavioral rating scale. Parents of all participants also completed the Infant/Toddler Sensory Profile (SP). Results indicate that children with autism were generally more hyper-sensitive and less hypo-sensitive to a wide range of sensory stimuli as compared to controls on both physiological and behavioral measures. Further, a weak association was found for the group with autism between HR and behavioral rating data, while no such relationship was found for the typically developing control group. Neither the HR data nor the behavioral rating data corresponded to the SP, with the exception of (1) HR and the Low Registration score and (2) HR and the Vestibular score for the ASD group only. While these are preliminary findings based on a small number of participants, the results suggest that some young children with autism are hyper-responsive to sensory stimuli. These findings also call into question the validity of the SP, and indicate the need for further examination of this instrument.