Sensory Features as a Marker of Autism Spectrum Disorders.

The team gave the Short Sensory Profile (SSP) to three groups: boys with autism, boys with Down syndrome, and neurotypical boys.

They wanted a quick score that could flag autism in two specific populations—idiopathic ASD and boys with an extra X and Y chromosome (47,XYY).

A cut-off of 155 or below on the SSP best separated the autism group from the other two groups.

SSP scores at or below 155 caught most boys with autism while ruling out most boys without it.

The same cut-off worked for both idiopathic ASD and ASD plus 47,XYY, so one number fits both conditions.

Van Hanegem et al. (2014) had already shown that caregiver SSP answers cluster into four sensory subtypes inside autism. Bizzell et al. (2020) now give a single cut-off that separates autism from non-autism, turning the same tool into a diagnostic screener.

Pastor-Cerezuela et al. (2020) found that lower SSP scores inside autism predict weaker classroom memory and attention. Together the papers show: the SSP both flags who has autism and forecasts how hard school may be once they are in class.

Masi et al. (2022) link sensory issues to worse sleep in autistic youth. Ebonee’s cut-off can now be used to quickly spot the kids who may later struggle with both learning and bedtime.

You can add the 155 SSP cut-off to your intake packet. It takes parents five minutes, costs almost nothing, and gives you an early red flag for autism in boys with or without 47,XYY. If the score is low, move the child up the assessment queue and plan for sensory supports at school and bedtime.