Brief report: assessment of early sensory processing in infants at high-risk of autism spectrum disorder.

Germani et al. (2014) compared high-risk baby siblings of children with autism to low-risk babies. They used the Infant/Toddler Sensory Profile at 24 months. Parents answered questions about how their child reacts to sounds and other sensations.

Babies who later got an autism diagnosis scored higher on two sections. They showed more auditory processing problems and lower sensory registration. In plain words, they acted more bothered by sounds and seemed to tune things out.

The result lines up with Lortie et al. (2017). That team saw typical early sound detection in kids with ASD, but the kids still did not turn attention toward voices. Together the papers hint the ear works, yet attention to sound is off.

Hampton et al. (2015) asked parents to fill out a short checklist at 12 months. Parents spotted signs even earlier than the 24-month mark used here. Their tool now lets you screen sooner in the same high-risk group.

Boets et al. (2015) looks like a contradiction at first. They found weaker pitch and gap detection in ASD teens with language delay. The teens failed basic hearing tests, while Tamara’s toddlers only showed parent-noticed sound issues. Age and added language delay explain the gap.

You can add a quick sensory profile to your 24-month visits for high-risk siblings. If parents report lots of sound sensitivity or low registration, track the child closely and consider an autism referral. Pair this with an attention cue during social play, since the sound problem may be more about attention than the ear itself.