Novel Parent Survey Measures Sensory Behaviors Incorporating Sensory Modality and Stimulus Intensity

Sensory behaviors are common, clinically relevant features of many neurodevelopmental disorders, including autism. However, existing assessments lack granularity in evaluating hypersensitivity and hyposensitivity, particularly in relation to stimulus intensity. We address this gap with our Sensory Response Questionnaire Phenotyper (SRQP), a parent-questionnaire that comprehensively assesses sensory behaviors across five sensory modalities. The purpose of this study was to validate the SRQP against established tools and assess its efficacy in identifying nuanced sensory processing patterns in children with autism.

A convenience sample of 317 participants (57 with autism, 260 typically developing) aged 3-17 years were enrolled in a cross-sectional study. The SRQP's psychometric properties were analyzed using classical test theory and item response theory. Statistical tests were used to evaluate sensory processing patterns from SRQP results.

Data from 271 participants (69% female, 83% white, 84% Hispanic) were included. The SRQP demonstrated strong psychometric properties. A receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis identified 37 as the cut-off value that most accurately distinguishes between typical and atypical responses on the SRQP (sensitivity 0.75, specificity 0.79, AUC 0.87). Total but not modality-specific hyper vs hyposensitivity scores were moderately correlated (ρ = .5). Responses to high-intensity stimuli were not correlated with responses to low-intensity stimuli for auditory, visual, taste, or tactile hyposensitivity (ρ < .4).

The SRQP is a new validated parent questionnaire that assesses sensory behaviors' multi-dimensional properties. Stimulus intensity is an important parameter of sensory behaviors that future models should account for.