Sensory Reactivity in Autism: Integrating Behavioural, Affective, Physiological, and Neural Dimensions.

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Psychology
• Developmental Science

Background:

• Sensory reactivity differences are a core feature of autism spectrum disorder (ASD).
• Understanding these differences across the lifespan is crucial for effective interventions.
• He et al.'s sensory taxonomy provides a framework for organizing research.

Purpose of the Study:

• To synthesize recent research on sensory reactivity in autism across the lifespan.
• To examine how behavioral, affective, perceptual, physiological, and neural factors contribute to sensory differences.
• To explore the relationship between sensory reactivity and outcomes like mental health and adaptive functioning.

Main Methods:

• Systematic literature review of recent studies on sensory reactivity in autism.
• Utilizing He et al.'s sensory taxonomy to categorize and analyze findings.
• Integrating data from behavioral, affective, perceptual, physiological, and neural research.

Main Results:

• Autistic youth exhibit heightened and variable sensory responsivity; hypersensitivity correlates with internalizing symptoms, while sensory seeking links to externalizing behaviors.
• Elevated affective reactivity is observed globally, associated with anxiety and caregiver stress, with sensory seeking potentially serving as a coping mechanism.
• Perceptual research indicates domain-specific differences (e.g., altered tactile adaptation, enhanced pitch discrimination) rather than generalized hyper- or hyposensitivity, with limited correlation to questionnaire data.

Conclusions:

• Sensory hyperreactivity in autism predicts internalizing challenges, whereas sensory seeking may represent regulatory strategies.
• Perceptual differences in autism are domain-specific, not generalized.
• Physiological and neural findings converge on autonomic dysregulation and altered connectivity patterns in sensory-reactive autistic individuals.