Increased Prevalence of Unusual Sensory Behaviors in Infants at Risk for, and Teens with, Autism Spectrum Disorder

Area of Science:

• Neurodevelopmental Disorders
• Developmental Psychology
• Sensory Processing

Background:

• Unusual Sensory Behaviors (USBs) are common in Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD).
• Understanding USBs in early development and adolescence is crucial for early identification and intervention.
• Limited research exists on the prevalence and patterns of USBs in infants at risk for ASD and in adolescents with ASD.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the prevalence and patterns of unusual sensory behaviors (USBs) in teenagers with ASD and in infants at high risk for ASD.
• To compare USBs in individuals with and without ASD across different age groups.
• To explore the directionality (greater-than-typical vs. less-than-typical) of sensory atypicalities.

Main Methods:

• Caregivers completed age-appropriate Sensory Profile questionnaires for infants (3-36 months) and adolescents.
• Participants included infants at high and low risk for ASD, and teenagers with and without ASD.
• Data were collected from two research sites (UCSD and UConn).

Main Results:

• Infants at high risk for ASD and teenagers with ASD showed a higher prevalence of USBs compared to their respective control groups.
• Sensory atypicality patterns were relatively consistent among teenagers with ASD.
• USBs patterns were more varied and diverse in high-risk infants.

Conclusions:

• High-risk infants and teenagers with ASD exhibit significantly elevated rates of unusual sensory behaviors.
• While sensory patterns show consistency in adolescents with ASD, they present greater variability in high-risk infants.
• These findings highlight the importance of assessing sensory processing in early detection and intervention strategies for ASD.