Development and psychometric validation of a novel, self-report visual processing questionnaire (ViPro-SR) for...

Differences in visual sensory sensitivity/reactivity are documented in autism and ADHD. Measuring these differences could guide interventions and accommodations, improving quality of life. No current self-report questionnaires focus specifically on the range of affective and behavioural responses to visual stimuli reported in autism and ADHD. This study aimed to develop such a measure (ViPro-SR) for neurodivergent adults. Using online survey responses, psychometric properties of ViPro-SR were assessed, including factor structure, gender-related measurement invariance, internal consistency reliability and validity. An 11-item, stable 3-factor solution was derived, with factors representing: hypersensitivity to contrast, detail focus, and peripheral vision activation. Internal consistency reliability was satisfactory for the total scale (ω = 0.85) and each subscale (ω > 0.70). Evidence towards convergent validity of ViPro-SR was provided through highly significant, moderate to strong correlations with existing sensory measures. Discriminative validity was supported by significant differences in ViPro-SR total scores between autistic/ADHD groups and a not autistic/ADHD comparison group. ViPro-SR is a psychometrically sound instrument, currently recommended for subscale-level scoring, that could inform visual sensory accommodations and contribute to a research toolkit.

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s12144-026-09409-7.