sensory differences in autism

what is hyperreactivity + how is it characterised

also called hypersensitivity —> describes overwhelm at sensory input, leading to strong reactions to senses stimuli e.g. sound, light, touch, taste or smell

• may cause autistic people to escape/avoid the stimuli

• can occur as well as hyposensitivity in the same individual + can depend on factors e.g. context, mental state/levels of stress, so are not fixed or constant

what is hyporeactivity + how is it characterised

also called hyposensitivity —> describes reduced response to sensory input, leading to potentially not noticing sensations e.g. pain, temperature or sound + desire for more stimulation

• can occur as well as hypersensitivity in the same individual + can depend on factors e.g. context, mental state/levels of stress, so are not fixed or constant

why is terminology associated with sensation in autism shifting from ‘sensitivity’ to ‘reactivity’

provides a more precise focus on observable behaviour of the autistic person —> centres how a person actively/passively reacts to input rather than sensitivity level, which is more subjective

• also allows for distinction between internal neurological processes + external, observable behaviour

how did the DSM-V autism criteria change from the DSM-IV

• before the DSM-V, diagnostic criteria did not include sensory experiences —> DSM-IV’s main 3 criteria were social interaction, communication + repetitive behaviour/restricted interests

• DSM-V criteria expanded to include atypical sensory reactivity —> criteria consists of dyad of social communication + repetitive/restrictive behaviours (with sensory reactivity included within this)

are sensory issues a core part of the diagnostic criteria

• sensory reactivity is included as a subcategory under restricted + repetitive behaviours as one of 4 criteria

• as not all examples listed need to be met for a diagnosis to be made (only 2 required), it can count towards, but is not necessary to, diagnosis

• Crane found that 94% of people with ASC have sensory differences, providing evidence that vast majority do

is it just people with ASC that can have sensory differences

no - sensory differences are commonly found in those with ADHD, though this is not part of the diagnostic criteria, and some neurotypical people have also reported sensory differences

what 3 self (or caregiver) report techniques can be used to understand sensory issues in neurodevelopmental conditions

• anecdotal

• qualitative studies

• questionnaires assessing experience + behaviour

what 3 experimental techniques can be used to understand sensory issues in neurodevelopmental conditions

scores on tasks can be measured objectively, e.g.:

• psychophysical tests, e.g. measuring thresholds of perception

• visuo-cognitive tasks

what utility do qualitative studies have in investigating sensory differences in autism

aim to scientifically analyse the personal, lived experience of those with autism + organise key features into themes (i’m up to slide 13!!!!!