The NDAF read
Autistic adults completed the Adult/Adolescent Sensory Profile, a self-report measure of sensory processing in everyday life. Sensory differences were common and highly variable: 94.4% of the autistic sample reported an extreme score in at least one sensory quadrant, but individual patterns differed substantially.
Why it matters: The study supports treating sensory needs as individual profiles rather than assuming one standard autistic sensory pattern.
What the researchers studied
The researchers used the 60-item Adult/Adolescent Sensory Profile to compare everyday sensory-processing patterns in autistic adults and adults without autism. The measure examines patterns such as low registration, sensation seeking, sensory sensitivity, and sensation avoiding.
What they found
- Sensory differences were highly prevalent in the autistic group.
- 94.4% of autistic participants had an extreme score in at least one sensory quadrant.
- There was substantial variation within the autistic group, meaning people could have very different but similarly significant sensory profiles.
What this could change in real life
The result argues against one-size-fits-all sensory advice. Two autistic people may both need substantial sensory support while needing opposite changes in the same environment.
Useful translation: Use the findings to justify assessing sound, light, touch, movement, and other inputs separately instead of asking whether someone is simply “sensory” or “not sensory.”
What this paper does not prove
- The questionnaire does not objectively measure every sensory response.
- The study does not mean all autistic adults experience the same sensory differences.
- It does not identify a single best sensory intervention.