The Influence of Sensory Processing on Executive Function in Young Autistic Children

Differences in sensory responsivity and executive function are common in autistic individuals and impact daily functioning, however how they relate to one another in autistic children is unknown. We tested the hypothesis that differences in sensory responsivity are associated with executive function difficulties in young autistic children.

Sensory responses (sensory hyperreactivity; sensory hyporeactivity; SIRS-sensory interests, repetitions, and seeking behaviors) and executive function abilities were measured in 63 autistic children, ages 36 to 72 months. Sensory behaviors were assessed through caregiver reports and play-based observations, while executive function was measured via caregiver report. Generalized linear models analyzed whether sensory responsivity predicted executive function, accounting for developmental level, age, sex, ADHD, and anxiety.

When measured via caregiver report, higher levels of SIRS behavior and sensory hyporeactivity were associated with global executive function challenges in autistic children. When measured via observational assessment, only SIRS behavior was significantly predictive of global executive function difficulties in autistic children. Exploratory subanalyses of the relationship between SIRS behavior and executive function subdomains revealed a significant relationship between higher SIRS behavior and working memory difficulties when measured by both caregiver report and observational scores.

Results suggest that specific types of sensory response differences, namely SIRS behaviors, are associated with executive function difficulties in young autistic children, particularly in the domain of working memory. These data suggest that early supports around sensory responsivity differences could improve executive function outcomes in autistic children. In addition, these findings highlight the importance of multimodal approaches to sensory measures.