Caregiver strain and sensory features in children with autism spectrum disorder and other developmental disabilities.

Worsham et al. (2015) asked two groups of parents—those raising kids with autism and those raising kids with other delays—to fill out surveys. The surveys measured how much strain the parents felt and what kinds of sensory quirks the children showed.

The team then looked at which sensory patterns predicted the heaviest caregiver load in each group.

Parents of children with autism reported higher strain than parents of children with other delays.

Over-reactions to sounds, lights, or touch, and under-reactions like not noticing name calls, both added to strain. The mix mattered differently for each diagnostic group.

Ben-Sasson et al. (2009) pooled 14 studies and found that under-responsivity is the clearest red flag separating autism from typical development. Worsham et al. (2015) now show that this same under-responsivity also wears parents down.

Kirby et al. (2016) watched kids at home and saw that over-responsive behaviors spike during adult-led routines like meals or dressing. Worsham et al. (2015) link those exact moments to higher caregiver strain, so the timing data fit hand-in-glove.

McQuaid et al. (2024) looked inside the brain and found that kids with strong over-responsivity blur social and non-social threats. Worsham et al. (2015) show the parent feels the fallout—more strain—when that blur happens daily.

When you write a behavior plan, list the sensory triggers that occur during parent-led tasks. Target over-responsive moments first; quick wins lower caregiver strain and buy you cooperation for the rest of the plan.