Sensory Phenotypes in Autism: Making a Case for the Inclusion of Sensory Integration Functions.
Autistic kids often have hidden sensory integration problems—add tactile, praxis, balance, and visual-motor assessments to your intake battery.
01Research in Context
What this study did
The team watched five autistic kids aged 5-9 years. They gave full sensory integration tests, not just the usual reactivity checklist.
Tests looked at tactile skills, balance, praxis, and eye-hand tasks. Parents also filled out the Short Sensory Profile.
What they found
Every child failed parts that standard screens miss. Weak balance and poor motor planning showed up most.
Surprise: these hidden scores did not track with autism severity. A child with mild traits could have big sensory gaps.
How this fits with other research
Park et al. (2026) pooled 23 trials and found sensory integration therapy helps daily skills, yet showed no gain on balance or visual tasks. Diemer et al. (2023) now shows why: we rarely test those skills, so we miss the need.
Green et al. (2016) saw sensory behaviours in 92% of autistic tweens. The new study says look deeper than behaviour; test the integration engine underneath.
Farley et al. (2022) used SSP-2 to sort 919 youth into five sensory-only clusters. The small 2023 case series adds motor and balance data, widening the lens.
Why it matters
If you only run the Short Sensory Profile, you may label a child as "sensory seeking" while missing weak vestibular or praxis skills that block learning. Adding five quick integration tests at intake gives you a fuller picture and clearer goals for OT referral or skill-based programs.
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Join Free →Tape a balance beam to the floor and watch the child walk forward, backward, and stand on one foot for three seconds—note wobbles and add to the sensory page of the assessment.
02At a glance
03Original abstract
Sensory features are part of the diagnostic criteria for autism and include sensory hypo/hyper reactivity and unusual sensory interest; however, additional sensory differences, namely differences in sensory integration, have not been routinely explored. This study characterized sensory integration differences in a cohort of children (n = 93) with a confirmed diagnosis of autism (5-9 years) using a standardized, norm-referenced battery. Mean z scores, autism diagnostic scores, and IQ are reported. Participants showed substantial deficits in tactile perception, praxis, balance, visual perception, and visual-motor skills. Relationship with autism diagnostic test scores were weak or absent. Findings suggest additional sensory difficulties that are not typically assessed or considered when characterizing sensory features in autism. These data have implications for a greater understanding of the sensory features in the autism phenotype and the development of personalized treatments.
Journal of autism and developmental disorders, 2023 · doi:10.1007/s10803-022-05763-0