Atypical sensory processing in adolescents with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder: A comparative study

Atypical sensory processing is common in Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). Despite growing evidence that ADHD symptoms persist into adolescence, the sensory processing of individuals with ADHD in this age group is limited. The aim of this study was to assess differences in self-reported sensory experiences between adolescents with and without ADHD. One hundred thirty-eight Italian adolescents aged between 14 and 18 years (M=16.20; SD= ± 1.90) participated in the study. Sixty-nine participants with ADHD were matched by gender, age, and IQ to 69 typically developing individuals. The sensory processing of all participants was assessed using the Adolescent Sensory Profile (ASP) on the components: low registration, sensation seeking, sensory sensitivity, and sensation avoiding. Moreover, the modalities of ASP were measured: movement, vision, touch, activity level, hearing, and taste/smell. Results show that the ADHD group consistently displayed higher scores across all four components of the sensory profile compared to the control group. The subjects with ADHD also reported higher scores than the control group in all the modalities of ASP. These results confirming the presence of atypical sensory processing in adolescents with ADHD were discussed considering the Cumulative and Emergent Automatic Deficit model (CEAD).