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Testing Sensory and Multisensory Function in Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder

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Sensory Processing in Williams Syndrome: Individual differences and changes over time.

Bradley Powell¹, Jo Van Herwegen²

¹Department of Psychology and Human Development, UCL Institute of Education, 20 Bedford Way, London, WC1H 0AL, UK.

Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders

|July 21, 2021

Summary

Children with Williams syndrome (WS) show significant sensory processing challenges, particularly in sensory registration, which appears to be a core developmental feature. Sensory impairments varied across development, indicating developmental instability.

Keywords:

Hyperacusis Longitudinal Sensory processing Sensory registration Williams syndrome

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Area of Science:

Neurodevelopmental disorders
Sensory processing
Developmental psychology

Background:

Williams syndrome (WS) is a genetic disorder associated with cognitive and behavioral differences.
Sensory processing difficulties are frequently reported in children with WS, but their developmental trajectory is not well understood.

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate individual differences in sensory processing in children with Williams syndrome.
To examine the developmental course of sensory processing difficulties in children with Williams syndrome.

Main Methods:

Cross-sectional and longitudinal study designs were employed.
Clustering analysis was used to group participants based on sensory processing scores.
Sensory processing was assessed across different time points in a longitudinal design.

Main Results:

Two distinct groups of sensory processing patterns were identified in the cross-sectional study.
These identified groups were not stable over time in the longitudinal study.
Most children consistently exhibited high impairments in sensory registration throughout development.

Conclusions:

Impaired sensory registration is a core phenotype of sensory processing in children with Williams syndrome across development.
Sensory processing patterns in WS are not static and can change over time.
Understanding these developmental patterns is crucial for targeted interventions and support.