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Updated: Aug 23, 2025

Testing Sensory and Multisensory Function in Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder
Published on: April 22, 2015
Transdiagnostic Patterns of Sensory Processing in Autism and ADHD
Nichole E Scheerer1,2, Anahid Pourtousi3, Connie Yang3
1Wilfrid Laurier University, 75 University Ave West, Waterloo, ON, N2L 3C5, Canada. nscheerer@wlu.ca.
Abstract:
Sensory processing abilities are highly variable within and across people diagnosed with autism and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). This study examined the transdiagnostic nature of sensory processing abilities, and their association with features of autism and ADHD, in a large sample of autistic people (n = 495) and people with ADHD (n = 461). Five similar data-driven sensory phenotypes characterized sensory processing abilities, and showed similar patterns of association with features of autism and ADHD, across both diagnostic groups. These results demonstrate the transdiagnostic nature of sensory processing abilities, while contributing to a growing body of literature that suggests the autism and ADHD diagnostic labels have poor explanatory power.
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