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. 2021 Feb;30(2):283-291.
doi: 10.1007/s00787-020-01516-5. Epub 2020 Mar 25.

Sensory processing related to attention in children with ASD, ADHD, or typical development: results from the ELENA cohort

Florine Dellapiazza  1   2   3 , Cécile Michelon  1 , Christelle Vernhet  1   2   3 , Filippo Muratori  4 , Nathalie Blanc  3 , Marie-Christine Picot  5 , Amaria Baghdadli  6   7   8 ; for ELENA study group
Collaborators, Affiliations

Sensory processing related to attention in children with ASD, ADHD, or typical development: results from the ELENA cohort

Florine Dellapiazza et al. Eur Child Adolesc Psychiatry. 2021 Feb.

Abstract

Autism-spectrum disorder (ASD) and attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) are early neurodevelopmental conditions that share clinical characteristics, raising important issues in clinical diagnosis. We aimed to compare (1) sensory processing in four groups of children: ASD alone, ASD + ADHD, ADHD alone, and typical development (TD) and (2) the association between sensory processing and attention in the three groups with neurodevelopmental disorders. Our sample included 120 children aged from 6 to 12 years divided into four groups: ASD alone (N = 43), ASD + ADHD (N = 18), ADHD alone (N = 28), and TD (N = 31). Atypical sensory processing was more frequent in ASD and/or ADHD than in TD, without a significant difference between ASD and ADHD. However, the variance analysis of attention problems revealed differences between the ADHD and ASD groups. Thus, the rate of atypical sensory processing was comparable between the ASD and ADHD groups, suggesting that further studies are needed to explore atypical SP in all neurodevelopmental disorders.

Keywords: Attention; Attention deficit disorder; Autism spectrum disorders; Children; Sensory processing.

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