Comparative study of sensory modulation vulnerabilities in children with and without ASD in family and school contexts

Background: Children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) may present sensory processing alterations that are specific to each environment in which they develop, inevitably impacting their daily functioning. Method: The aim of this study is to compare the different types of sensory modulation vulnerabilities (over-responsiveness, under-responsiveness, and sensory-seeking behavior) in different sensory modalities, between a group of children with ASD (n = 41) and a group of children with typical development (n = 38), in both the home and school environments. The sensory processing measure (SPM) was used to evaluate the children’s sensory profile. Results: The ASD group obtained scores that indicate higher levels of dysfunction on all the assessed measures in both environments, with greater differences obtained in the school environment. Under-responsiveness was the sensory response that showed differences in all the sensory modalities and in both environments, whereas for over-responsiveness and sensory-seeking behavior, no differences were found for some of the sensory modalities in the home environment. Conclusions: Under-responsiveness could be the most prominent and exclusive sensory symptom of children with ASD, with the school being the environment where sensory differences seem to be noted to a greater extent.