2023 Volume 14 Issue 1 Pages 10-15
【Introduction】Sensory problems in children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), such as difficulty in recognizing dangerous sensory information and hypersensitivity to sensory stimuli that are not important to others, affect their daily lives. In order to facilitate their daily lives, objective sensory evaluation is important. In this study, we examined the characteristics of reactions to various sensory stimuli among young children and school‐aged children with ASD or suspected ASD.
【Methods】We included 91 children aged 4 to 13 years who were divided according to age into two groups of 44 young children and 47 school‐aged children. We then compared scores for each item in the Japanese version of the Sensory Profile by quadrant, by section, and by factor. The scores were ranked 1, 2, and 3, indicating average, high, and very high, respectively.
【Results】The results showed that parents of 32 (72.7%) young children and 40 (85.1%) school‐aged children answered “high" or “very high" in at least one of the four quadrants: “low registration", “sensation seeking", “sensation sensitivity", and “sensation avoidance". Significant differences were seen in “low registration" and “sensation avoiding" in scores by quadrant; “auditory" and “multi‐sensory" in scores by section; and “emotionally reactive", “inattention / distractibility" and “poor registration" in scores by factor (p<0.05). Scores were highest across all items for school‐aged children.
【Conclusion】The parents or guardians of school‐aged children might understand their child's sensory problems more acutely than the parents or guardians of young children. Furthermore, it would be helpful for the parents or guardians of young children with ASD to be informed by professionals about sensory biases that may occur within the home and school.
