Comparing sensory processing in children with Down syndrome to a mental age matched sample of children with autism, other developmental disabilities, and typically developing children.
Sensory processing patterns differ among DS, ASD and other IDDs even when mental age is matched—use both parent report and direct observation before planning intervention.
01Research in Context
What this study did
The team compared sensory processing in four groups of kids. They looked at children with Down syndrome, autism, other developmental delays, and typically developing peers.
All kids were matched by mental age, not birth age. This keeps brain development level the same across groups.
What they found
Every clinical group showed more sensory issues than typical peers. Autism had the most severe profile.
Caregiver reports and direct observations did not line up. Parents and testers saw different things.
How this fits with other research
Fernández-Andrés et al. (2015) also saw parent-teacher disagreement on the same SPM forms. Both studies warn us to collect ratings from more than one person before writing goals.
Stichter et al. (2009) showed the Sensory Profile can separate autism or ADHD from typical kids, but cannot tell autism from ADHD. The new study adds Down syndrome to that map.
Hirai et al. (2025) swapped Williams syndrome for Down syndrome and found only the Sensory Sensitivity scale differed. Together these papers show each genetic syndrome has its own sensory fingerprint.
Why it matters
Do not assume one sensory profile fits all disabilities. Match interventions to the child, not the label. Always gather both parent report and direct observation. If the two clash, probe further instead of picking the nicer number.
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02At a glance
03Original abstract
BACKGROUND: Atypical sensory processing impacts children with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD). Research has focused on SP in individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD); comparatively, little has been written regarding individuals with Down syndrome (DS) and IDDs. AIMS: We compared patterns of sensory processing in children with DS to children with ASD, other IDDs, and typically developing (TD) peers examining the relationship among different sensory processing measures. METHODS AND PROCEDURES: We analyzed cross-sectional data using two caregiver questionnaires (SP, SEQ) and one observational measure (SPA). Groups were compared on three sensory processing patterns: hyporesponsiveness; hyperresponsiveness; and sensory interests, repetitions, and seeking (SIRS) via ANOVA. We assessed concordance through correlations. OUTCOMES AND RESULTS: Children with DS, IDD, and ASD demonstrated more atypical sensory processing behaviors than TD peers. Children with ASD exhibited the most atypical responses across all measures, significantly more than DS children on all but one subscale. The IDD and DS groups differed on several measures. Measurement concordance was higher between caregiver-report versus observational assessment. CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS: Differences between three clinical groups indicate that sensory processing features may differ across clinical populations regardless of cognitive functioning. Lower concordance between caregiver-report and observation measures highlights the need to understand sensory processing expression across different tasks and environments.
Research in developmental disabilities, 2023 · doi:10.1016/j.ridd.2022.104421