A longitudinal exploratory study of changes in sensory processing in children with ASD from the ELENA cohort

Atypical sensory processing (SP) is a diagnostic criterion of autism spectrum disorder (ASD). However, little is known about its course during development. In this exploratory longitudinal study, we aimed to investigate the course of SP among children with ASD and identify clinical variables associated with changes. We used a subsample of 51 children with confirmed ASD, aged from 3 to 10 years, recruited from the ELENA cohort. SP was assessed using the Sensory Profile questionnaire at baseline and three years later. Our preliminary results highlight the heterogeneity of the evolution of SP during the children's development and the existence of three subgroups based on the course of SP (improvement, stable, and worsening). In addition, the children's adaptive skills and maladaptive behaviors were related to the course of SP. These results could be confirmed in future studies with a larger sample size using a longitudinal approach to capture individual variability in SP. In addition, our results highlight the importance of accounting for temporal changes in the sensory needs of individuals with ASD in clinical practice.