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Cited by 450Autism Spectrum Disorder ResearchChild Nutrition and Feeding IssuesGenetics and Neurodevelopmental Disorders

Sensory and attention abnormalities in autistic spectrum disorders

Liss, Miriam, Saulnier, Celine, Fein, Deborah, Kinsbourne, Marcel·2006·Autism
DOI 10.1177/1362361306062021
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Abstract

Individuals with autistic spectrum disorders (ASDs) often experience, describe and exhibit unusual patterns of sensation and attention. These anomalies have been hypothesized to result from overarousal and consequent overfocused attention. Parents of individuals with ASD rated items in three domains, 'sensory overreactivity', 'sensory underreactivity' and 'sensory seeking behaviors', of an expanded version of the Sensory Profile, a 103-item rating scale developed for the present study. Parents also rated symptom severity, overselective attention and exceptional memory, and completed the Vineland Adaptive Behavior Scales. Of 222 rated subjects, 144 had complete data. Cluster analysis showed the predicted overfocused pattern of sensation and attention, comprising overreactivity, perseverative behavior and interests, overfocused attention and exceptional memory in 43 percent of this sample. This pattern was striking in 10 percent. The neurological basis of overreactivity and overfocusing is discussed in relation to the overarousal hypothesis. Attention is drawn to its considerable prevalence in the ASD population.

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  • Initial negative sensory experiences start a conditioned feedback loop in which hyperreactivity produces emotional dysregulation, generating an anxious experience that reinforces rejection/avoidance of the sensory stimulus.

    “Las experiencias sensoriales negativas iniciales serían el inicio de un bucle de realimentación condicionada, de forma que conllevaría una hiperreactividad que produciría una desregulación emocional, generando una experiencia ansiosa que reforzaría la reacción de rechazo/evitación al estímulo sensorial (Liss et al., 2006).”

    From Ansiedad y trastornos del espectro del autismo: notas para la intervención psicoeducativa (2022) · cites this paper as Liss et al., 2006

  • Sensory hyperreactivity, a highly prevalent co-occurring difference in autistic individuals, was linked to anxiety in line with existing models.

    “Sensory hyperreactivity, a highly prevalent co-occurring difference in autistic individuals (Liss et al., 2006), was linked to anxiety in line with existing models (Green & Ben-Sasson, 2010; South & Rodgers, 2017).”

    From Understanding Autistic Adults' Psychological Experiences of Anxiety Problems: A Qualitative Interview Study. (2026) · cites this paper as Liss et al., 2006

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Authors
Liss, M., Saulnier, C., Fein, D., & Kinsbourne, M.
Affiliations
  • University of Mary Washington (US)
  • Yale University (US)
  • University of Connecticut (US)
  • The New School (US)
ORCID
Venue
Autism
Publisher
SAGE Publications
Published
2006-03
Volume
10
Issue
2
Pages
155-172
ISSN
  • 1362-3613 (ISSN-L)
  • 1461-7005
DOI
10.1177/1362361306062021
OpenAlex
W2137694551
Cited by
450
References
48
Citations by year
2026: 10 · 2025: 15 · 2024: 25 · 2023: 21 · 2022: 32 · 2021: 39 · 2020: 29 · 2019: 25 · 2018: 23 · 2017: 26 · 2016: 35 · 2015: 21 · 2014: 30 · 2013: 25 · 2012: 22
FWCI
5.83
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
closed
Licence
journals.sagepub.com/page/policies/text-and-data-mining-license (tdm)
Locations
  • Autism (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
Topics
  • Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Autism Spectrum Disorder Research
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Psychiatry and Mental health › Child Nutrition and Feeding Issues
  • Life Sciences › Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology › Genetics › Genetics and Neurodevelopmental Disorders
Keywords
autism spectrum disorder, sensory seeking, exceptional memory, perseveration, sensory profile, adaptive behavior, symptom severity
MeSH terms
Adolescent, Attention, Autistic Disorder, Child, Developmental Disabilities, Cognition Disorders, Female, Humans, Male, Personality Inventory, Psychiatric Status Rating Scales, Psychophysiologic Disorders, Sensation Disorders, Comorbidity, Prevalence, Cluster Analysis, Attention Deficit and Disruptive Behavior Disorders, Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders

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