Sensory Sensitivities In Children with ASD: A Qualitative Analysis

Background:  

There is a variety of evidence (e.g. parent reports, first-hand accounts and experimental data) which suggests that individuals with ASD show atypical responses to sensory stimuli. Although the existence of these sensory issues in ASD are consistently reported, there are few qualitative studies which have investigated the effect that sensory stimuli has on the lives of people with ASD (Jones et al., 2003; Dickie et al., 2009). In this study, we formed small discussion groups, which consisted of children with ASD, in order to gain first-hand information about the nature of sensory issues in ASD. We were also interested in the effect that sensory sensitivities had on the ability of individuals with ASD to access certain facilities within their community.   

Objectives:  

• To uncover details about the nature of the sensory stimuli the children found most problematic or pleasurable
• To determine the impact that these experiences have on the lives of the children in our sample
• To discover whether there are particular qualities associated with some types of sensory stimuli which make them difficult to deal with.

Methods:  

10 children with ASD (9-12 years old) were recruited for this study through local schools.  Parents were informed about the nature of the study and asked to give consent for their child’s participation.  Parents were also asked to fill out the Social Communication Questionnaire (Rutter et al., 2003) for their child. Three discussion sessions were held, each taking between 40 and 50 mins to complete.  Sessions consisted of a) group discussion, b) practical activities (e.g. guessing smells and listening to sounds) and c) answering questions posed by the first author on an individual/smaller group basis. All groups were audio recorded and later transcribed.  The responses to the practical activities were recorded using worksheets. 

Results:

Both transcripts and worksheets were used to develop codes for the data.  Using the grounded theory approach (Strauss & Corbin, 1990), four main categories were developed from the data: difficult sensory experiences; positive sensory experiences; strong/atypical responses to sensory stimuli and coping mechanisms employed. Our data showed that the children in our sample described both positive (e.g. “I like to feel smooth stuff”) and negative (e.g. “I just didn’t like the colour or the feeling [of the sweater])” experiences with sensory stimuli. Some participants also described experiencing pain or strong negative emotions in response to some types of sensory stimuli (e.g. “I feel physically sick when I have to have a haircut”).  Lastly, the coping mechanisms that the children reported using were varied, with pleasurable sensory experiences being reported as well as avoidance techniques and doing something enjoyable (e.g. [I] jump on a trampoline). 

Conclusions:  

• The children in our sample reported having difficulties with sensory stimuli, sometimes even experiencing pain.  The sample also gave details of pleasurable sensory experiences. 
• Aversive sensory stimuli diminished the enjoyment that the children reported for activities they typically enjoyed.
• Strong, unexpected stimuli, beyond the children’s control, appeared to be the most problematic.