Active-touch texture/material matching and caregiver-reported sensory reactivity in adolescents with autism spectrum...

This pilot study examined whether caregiver-reported sensory characteristics were associated with basic somatosensory functions and tactile texture/material matching performance during active touch. Thirteen adolescents with clinically diagnosed ASD and 13 age-matched typically developing (TD) controls participated in the study. Somatosensory function was evaluated using finger kinesthesia, two-point discrimination, and graphesthesia as indices of somatosensory processing. Texture/material matching performance was assessed using a tactile-visual texture/material matching task. Caregiver-reported sensory features were obtained using the Japanese version of the Sensory Profile (SP-J). As expected, the ASD group differed from the TD group in SP-J sensory behavior ratings. However, active-touch texture/material matching performance was not significantly different between groups. Moreover, texture/material matching performance was not consistently associated with caregiver-reported sensory characteristics, including tactile reactivity and sensory processing quadrants. These preliminary findings suggest that what caregivers describe as sensory hyper- or hypo-reactivity in everyday situations may not be fully explained by objectively measured texture/material matching performance during active touch. One possible explanation is that active touch may allow individuals to regulate contact with textures, whereas daily experiences also include less controllable passive tactile input. Objective assessment of tactile processing may help complement caregiver-reported sensory measures in characterizing tactile function in adolescents with ASD.