Brief Report: Prevalence and Severity of Auditory Sensory Over-Responsivity in Autism as Reported by Parents and Caregivers.

This study looked at how common it is for autistic people to be overly sensitive to sounds. Researchers examined data from over 4,000 autistic people aged 2-54. They found that about 6 out of 10 people currently have sound sensitivity, and about 7 out of 10 have experienced it at some point. Sound sensitivity was related to age but not whether someone was male or female.

This cross-sectional study analyzed data from 4,104 autistic individuals aged 2-54 years using the Autism Diagnostic Interview-Revised to examine auditory sensory over-responsivity (aSOR). The research found that 60.1% currently experience aSOR, while 71.1% have experienced it at some point in their lives. The study identified that both prevalence and severity of auditory over-responsivity are influenced by age, though no associations were found with sex. This represents one of the larger studies examining auditory sensory differences in autism, providing important prevalence data for this commonly reported sensory feature.

Results suggest auditory accommodations should be considered for majority of autistic individuals. Age-related patterns indicate need for developmental considerations in sensory assessment and intervention planning. High prevalence supports routine screening for auditory sensitivities.

Secondary data analysis limits depth of sensory assessment. Single item measurement may not capture full complexity of auditory over-responsivity. Cross-sectional design prevents understanding of developmental changes over time.

Auditory sensory over-responsivity (aSOR) is a frequently reported sensory feature of autism spectrum disorders (ASD); however, there is little consensus regarding its prevalence and severity. This cross-sectional study uses secondary data from the Autism Diagnostic Interview-Revised (ADI-R; Item 72: undue sensitivity to noise) housed in the US National Institute of Mental Health Data Archives to identify prevalence and severity of aSOR. Of the 4104 subjects with ASD ages 2-54 (M = 9, SD = 5.8) who responded to item 72, 60.1% (n = 1876) had aSOR currently (i.e., point prevalence) and 71.1% (n = 2221) reported having aSOR ever (i.e., lifetime prevalence). aSOR prevalence and severity were affected by age, but there were no associations with sex.