Revised scored Sensory Perception Quotient reveals sensory hypersensitivity in women with autism

Molecular Autism

Rosemary Holt¹  Emily Taylor¹  Simon Baron-Cohen¹  Chris Ashwin²  Teresa Tavassoli³ 

[1] Autism Research Centre, Department of Psychiatry, University of Cambridge;Centre for Applied Autism Research, Department of Psychology, University of Bath;School of Psychology & Clinical Language Sciences, University of Reading;

关键词: Autism spectrum conditions;    Sensory;    Sensory Perception Quotient;    Hypersensitivity;    Broader autism phenotype;    females;   

DOI  :  10.1186/s13229-019-0289-x

来源: DOAJ

【 摘 要 】

Abstract Background Previous research using the Sensory Perception Quotient (SPQ) has reported greater sensory hypersensitivity in people with autism spectrum condition (ASC) compared to controls, consistent with other research. However, current scoring of the SPQ does not differentiate between hyper and hyposensitivity, making it uncertain whether individuals with ASC might also show differences in hyposensitivity. Furthermore, no research to date has focused on sensory differences in females, and whether differences in sensory sensitivity extend to the broader autism phenotype (BAP). The present study aimed to fill these gaps. Methods The present study developed and validated a Revised Scoring of the Sensory Perception Quotient (SPQ-RS) in order to investigate self-reported hypersensitivity and hyposensitivity in three groups of adults: a female ASC group (n = 152), mothers of children with ASC (BAP mothers group; n = 103), and a control mothers group (n = 74). All participants completed the SPQ as a self-report measure of sensory processing and the Autism-Spectrum Quotient (AQ) as a measure of the degree of autism traits. Results The female ASC group reported significantly more hypersensitivity, but not more hyposensitivity, compared to the control female and BAP mothers groups. The BAP mothers group did not differ from the control mothers group in either reported hypersensitivity (p = .365) or hyposensitivity (p = .075), suggesting atypical sensory sensitivity is not a BAP trait within females. SPQ-RS hypersensitivity scores positively correlated with autistic traits in the female ASC (r = .266) and BAP mothers groups (r = .350). Conclusions The present findings revealed greater sensory hypersensitivity, but not hyposensitivity, in females with ASC compared to BAP and control female groups, and that a greater degree of autism traits relates to higher hypersensitivity in ASC females. The results offer support for the enhanced perceptual functioning model using large samples of females, who are an understudied population, and demonstrate the validity of the SPQ-RS as a valuable new research tool for exploring self-reported hypersensitivity and hyposensitivity.

【 授权许可】

Unknown