Exploring the Sensory Profiles of Children on the Autism Spectrum Using the Short Sensory Profile-2 (SSP-2).

Simpson et al. (2019) asked parents of 271 autistic children to fill out the Short Sensory Profile-2.

The team ran a computer clustering program on the scores to see if clear sensory “types” appeared.

They also checked whether age or social-communication scores shaped the groups.

Two tight clusters showed up.

One cluster had high scores across all four quadrants — a “globally elevated” group.

The other cluster was only high on avoiding and sensitivity, not seeking or registration.

Age and social score did not explain the split.

Stichter et al. (2009) used an earlier Chinese Sensory Profile and saw no clear split between ASD and ADHD kids — just one big “different from typical” lump.

Kate’s 2019 finer math tool found hidden subtypes, so the older study’s “no difference” result is now superseded.

Crane et al. (2009) showed that almost every autistic adult lands in at least one extreme sensory quadrant.

Kate’s child data echo that life-long sensory load, but give you a quicker child-level map: start by checking avoiding and sensitivity first.

Sapey-Triomphe et al. (2023) later added that adult self-report and lab thresholds can disagree; Kate’s parent-only data fit the self-report side of that picture.

You can shorten your intake by scoring the avoiding and sensitivity quadrants first.

If both are high, treat the child as the “globally elevated” type and plan broader sensory supports.

If only those two are spiking, try targeted strategies like headphone breaks or dimmed lights before adding bigger programs.

No need to wait for age or IQ data — the subtype stays the same.