Grant description:

The proposed study will examine the reliability and validity of an established psychophysiologic assessment of sensory reactivity in 40 school-aged children with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD). The quantitative laboratory paradigm, called the Sensory Challenge Protocol has successfully documented sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous system functioning in children with fragile X syndrome, cognitive delays, sensory modulation dysfunction, and ADHD, and field-tested in a group of children with ASD. In this pilot feasibility study (n = 8), the Sensory Challenge Protocol was found to be practicable with ASD, however, a larger scale project evaluating the reliability and validity of the paradigm with children who meet stringent criteria for ASD is needed. The protocol is administered in a non-threatening, fun situation, and 'pretend spaceship during which 50 sensory stimuli are presented while electrodermal reactivity (sympathetic nervous system marker) and vagal tone (parasympathetic nervous system marker) data are collected continuously. The four specific aims are: to evaluate the reliability of the Sensory Challenge Protocol in school-aged children with ASD;to investigate the variability of sensory reactivity among children with ASD;to examine relations among sensory symptoms and core symptoms of autism (e.g., social behaviors, communication, and restricted behaviors); andto evaluate the convergent validity of the laboratory measure with parent-report measures of sensory and functional behaviors. Validation of a quantitative measure of sensory reactivity in children with ASD will further our understanding of individual differences among children with ASD and will be useful in future treatment outcomes research.

Funded in Partnership with Repligen Corporation

Publication:

Miller LJ & Hepburn S. An update on sensory responsivity, sensory reactivity, and arousal in persons with autism spectrum disorders: Current research and promising interventions. Autism Asperger's Digest. Jan-Feb. 2004. 38-40.