Sensory Integration and the Perceptual Experience of Persons with Autism

Abstract

Research studies on sensory issues in autism, including those based on questionnaires, autobiographical accounts, retrospective video observations and early experimental approaches are reviewed in terms of their strengths and limitations. We present a cognitive neuroscience theoretical perspective on multisensory integration and propose that this may be a useful way of conceptualizing and studying sensory integration and the perceptual experience of persons with autism. Our goal is to operationalize the concept of sensory integration, a notion that is frequently alluded to in the field of autism yet rarely defined in empirical terms. We conclude with a discussion of how this re-conceptualization and study of sensory integration may generate testable hypotheses and lead to refinements in current perceptual theories of autism.

Identification and Evaluation of Children With Autism Spectrum Disorders

“…Others may have oral aversions and/or total-body "tactile defensiveness" to soft touch (fabric bumps on socks and sweatshirts) or hugs yet be insensitive to pain. 241 Sensory factors related to food, such as texture, color, and taste, may lead to highly restricted diets. More research is needed to operationalize the concept of sensory integration and possible interventions and define its role in ASDs.…”

Behavioral and Neural Foundations of Multisensory Face-Voice Perception in Infancy

“…Some forms of atypical development appear to be associated with impairments in this sort of multisensory processing and integration (Leekam, Nieto, Libby, Wing, & Gould, 2007;Iarocci & McDonald, 2006). For example, some evidence suggests that individuals with autism differ from neurotypical peers in the way they process, integrate, and attend to multisensory information (see Bahrick, 2010;Iarocci & McDonald, 2006;Leekam et al, 2007 for reviews).…”

“…Some forms of atypical development appear to be associated with impairments in this sort of multisensory processing and integration (Leekam, Nieto, Libby, Wing, & Gould, 2007;Iarocci & McDonald, 2006). For example, some evidence suggests that individuals with autism differ from neurotypical peers in the way they process, integrate, and attend to multisensory information (see Bahrick, 2010;Iarocci & McDonald, 2006;Leekam et al, 2007 for reviews). More specifically, individuals with autism have been shown to be less sensitive to amodal properties in contexts of intersensory redundancy compared to typically developing peers, including in the integration of audio-visual speech (e.g., Smith & Bennetto, 2007;Magnee, de Gelder, van Engeland, Kemner, 2008), susceptibility to the McGurk effect (de Gelder, Vroomen, & van der Heide, 1991;Mongillo et al, 2008;Williams, Massaro, Peel, Bosseler, & Suddendorf, 2004), and processing of audio-visual temporal synchrony in some contexts (e.g., Bebko Weiss, Denmark, Gomez, 2006;Mundy & Burnette, 2005).…”

Cortical Folding Abnormalities in Autism Revealed by Surface-Based Morphometry

“…The parietal operculum, or secondary somatosensory cortex (SII), is implicated in numerous complex functions related to multimodal sensory and motor integration (Caselli, 1993;Bremmer et al, 2001;Disbrow et al, 2003). The shape abnormality in this region may be related to the unusual responses to sensory stimuli that are commonly observed in individuals with autism (Rogers and Ozonoff, 2005;Iarocci and McDonald, 2006).…”