The Impact of Atypical Sensory Processing on Adaptive Functioning and Maladaptive Behaviors in Autism Spectrum Disorder During Childhood: Results From the ELENA Cohort.

Dellapiazza et al. (2020) tracked kids in the French ELENA cohort. All had autism spectrum disorder.

They checked how many showed odd sensory responses. Then they asked if those responses predicted daily living skills and problem behaviors.

Almost 9 out of 10 kids had atypical sensory patterns. These patterns explained a big chunk of the variance in both adaptive and maladaptive behaviors.

In plain words: the stranger the sensory score, the lower the self-care and the higher the tantrums.

Neufeld et al. (2021) used the same ELENA kids but added family controls. Hyper-sensitivity still looked bad at first, yet the link vanished once genes and home life were counted. Only sensory seeking stayed tied to poorer adaptive skills in autistic children.

Lim et al. (2016) had already shown that two sensory subtypes—attenuated-preoccupied and extreme-mixed—forecast the lowest skills and the most stress. Dellapiazza et al. (2020) now confirm that pattern in a larger French sample.

Wang et al. (2019) widened the lens to Chinese preschoolers. There, odd sensory scores predicted sleep, feeding, and behavior issues. The ELENA paper keeps the sensory-behavior link but shows it matters for school-age daily living too.

You already watch for tantrums or slow self-care. Add a quick sensory checklist at intake. If scores are high, plan sensory breaks before teaching dressing, toilet, or group work. Target sensory seeking first—it holds even after family factors are ruled out. Share the sensory profile with OTs and parents so everyone uses the same roadmap.