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

The team looked back at 4,104 parent interviews already stored in the Autism Diagnostic Interview-Revised (ADI-R) database. They pulled answers about sound sensitivity for people with autism aged 2 to 54.

Parents had answered yes or no to questions like "Does your child cover ears to ordinary sounds?" The study counted how many said yes now and how many had ever said yes.

Six out of ten autistic individuals currently show auditory over-responsivity. Seven out of ten have shown it at some point in life.

Older kids and adults were slightly more likely to have current sound issues. Boys and girls showed the same rates.

McQuaid et al. (2024) extends these numbers into middle-aged and older autistic adults. They asked the adults themselves instead of parents and still found high rates of sound sensitivity, proving the issue does not fade with age.

Dwyer et al. (2025) used headphone tests and questionnaires with autistic youth. They found the same high rates of auditory hyper-reactivity, showing parent report and lab measures line up.

Reynolds et al. (2008) once suggested sensory over-responsivity could be its own diagnosis using just three case stories. This big 2022 count shows the trait is common in autism, not a separate condition.

If more than half of your clients with autism likely cover their ears, start every assessment with one quick question: "Do everyday sounds bother you?" A yes flags the need for ear defenders, warning before fire drills, or gradual exposure programs. No extra tools needed—just routine screening.