Brief report: assessment of sensory abnormalities in people with autistic spectrum disorders.
A ready-to-use adult sensory checklist is available to help you find hidden triggers of problem behavior.
01Research in Context
What this study did
Harrison et al. (2004) built a new checklist for adults with autism.
The tool asks about touch, sound, light, taste, and body sense.
It gives numbers you can track over time.
What they found
The paper only shows how to build the tool.
No client scores or behavior links are given.
How this fits with other research
Spiegel et al. (2023) later made a video coding tool for preschoolers.
It shows sensory signs can predict short-term gains in early intervention.
Kose et al. (2025) linked teen sensory scores to social skills.
Together they stretch the adult idea down to younger ages.
Kurokawa et al. (2021) found sensory issues and GI pain each worsen behavior.
Their numbers back the reason to screen adults with the James tool.
Why it matters
You now have a free, adult-ready sensory checklist.
Use it during intake to spot triggers that fuel self-injury or withdrawal.
Pair results with caregiver notes and ABC data to plan sensory breaks or room changes.
Want CEUs on This Topic?
The ABA Clubhouse has 60+ free CEUs — live every Wednesday. Ethics, supervision & clinical topics.
Join Free →Print the James tool, give it to your adult client or staff, and circle the top three aversive sensations to guide this week’s behavior plan.
02At a glance
03Original abstract
Sensory functioning has long been considered crucial in the life of people with autistic spectrum disorders (ASD) (Gillberg, C., & Coleman, M. (1992). The Biology of Autistic Syndromes (2nd ed.). London: Mac Keith press.) However, much of the research is methodologically flawed and based on child populations and adults' retrospective accounts (O'Neill, M.C 1995). Sensory-perceptual abnormalities in autism. Psychological Perspectives in Autism-Conference Proceedings 1995 (pp. 55-61). Autism Research Unit, University of Sundarland). Such sensory dysfunction may contribute to poor person/environment fit and subsequent challenging behaviour. This paper presents an assessment tool developed to explore the sensory functioning of adults with ASD.
Journal of autism and developmental disorders, 2004 · doi:10.1007/s10803-004-5293-z