Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2011 Dec;54(6):1562-76.
doi: 10.1044/1092-4388(2011/10-0029). Epub 2011 Aug 23.

Differential associations between sensory response patterns and language, social, and communication measures in children with autism or other developmental disabilities

Linda R Watson  1 , Elena Patten, Grace T Baranek, Michele Poe, Brian A Boyd, Ashley Freuler, Jill Lorenzi
Affiliations

Differential associations between sensory response patterns and language, social, and communication measures in children with autism or other developmental disabilities

Linda R Watson et al. J Speech Lang Hear Res. 2011 Dec.

Abstract

Purpose: To examine patterns of sensory responsiveness (i.e., hyperresponsiveness, hyporesponsiveness, and sensory seeking) as factors that may account for variability in social-communicative symptoms of autism and variability in language, social, and communication skill development in children with autism or other developmental disabilities (DDs).

Method: Children with autistic disorder (AD; n = 72, mean age = 52.3 months) and other DDs (n = 44, mean age = 48.1 months) participated in a protocol measuring sensory response patterns; social-communicative symptoms of autism; and language, social, and communication skills.

Results: Hyporesponsiveness was positively associated with social-communicative symptom severity, with no significant group difference in the association. Hyperresponsiveness was not significantly associated with social-communicative symptom severity. A group difference emerged for sensory seeking and social-communicative symptom severity, with a positive association for the AD group only. For the 2 groups of children combined, hyporesponsiveness was negatively associated with language skills and social adaptive skills. Sensory seeking also was negatively associated with language skills. These associations did not differ between the 2 groups.

Conclusions: Aberrant sensory processing may play an important role in the pathogenesis of autism and other DDs as well as in the rate of acquisition of language, social, and communication skills.

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Sensory Response Patterns Measurement Model. SPA = Sensory Processing Assessment; TDDT = Tactile Defensiveness and Discrimination Test-Revised; SEQ = Sensory Experiences Questionnaire; SP = Sensory Profile.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

Similar articles

See all similar articles

Cited by

See all "Cited by" articles

References

    1. Adamson A, O’Hare A, Graham C. Impairments in sensory modulation in children with autism spectrum disorder. British Journal of Occupational Therapy. 2006;69:357–364.
    1. American Psychiatric Association. Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders. 4. Washington, DC, US: American Psychiatric Publishing, Inc; 2000. text revision; DSM-IV-TR.
    1. Ashburner J, Ziviani J, Rodger S. Sensory processing and classroom emotional, behavioral, and educational outcomes in children with autism spectrum disorder. American Journal of Occupational Therapy. 2008;62:564–573. - PubMed
    1. Bailey A, Phillips W, Rutter M. Autism: Towards an integration of clinical, genetic, neuropsychological, and neurobiological perspectives. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry. 1996;37(1):89–126. - PubMed
    1. Baranek GT. Unpublished manuscript. University of North Carolina; Chapel Hill: 1998. Tactile Defensiveness and Discrimination Test-Revised (TDDT-R)

Publication types

MeSH terms