How Sensory Experiences Affect Adolescents with an Autistic Spectrum Condition within a Classroom at School

Background: Sensory processing difficulties have been consistently found amongst individuals with an autistic spectrum condition (ASC). These sensory abnormalities have a significant impact on an individual’s ability to function in everyday life. Attending school is a normal part of a child’s life but for a child with ASC this comes with multiple difficulties, including sensory problems. There is at present a limited amount of research conducted specifically on the effect of sensory difficulties whilst at school, and work on sensory processing in general tends to rely on observer reports. More research employing self-report and autobiographical accounts is needed in this area, in order to understand how sensory issues affect the schooling experience of children with ASC.

Objectives: The current research sought to establish how adolescents with ASC perceive sensory processing abnormalities to be affecting their learning experiences within the classroom.

Methods: The Adolescent/Adult Sensory Profile, a self-report measure, was used to establish objectively whether the participants had sensory issues. A qualitative questionnaire designed by the researcher was then used to investigate the participant’s individual sensory experiences whilst in a classroom. The participants were 16 adolescents with a diagnosis of ASC with no co-morbid diagnosis of any learning disability. The participants were drawn from mainstream schools in the east of England.

Results: The participants in the current study showed processing difficulties in at least one of the sensory profile quadrants, and 86% scored outside the normal range on two or more of the quadrants. The participants were aware of their sensory issues, and all reported difficulties in the classroom within at least one sensory domain. Hearing was rated as being the sense that particularly affected the participants followed by touch, smell and vision. Content analysis revealed that the participants considered sensory sensitivity to affect their learning to some extent and that their sensory experiences within a classroom were largely negative. Despite similarities between the participants’ sensory experiences, significant variations were found. This highlights the importance of considering adolescents with ASC as having individual experiences.

Conclusions: Sensory experiences vary between participants, highlighting how individual these can be for those with ASC and the need for schools to create sensory profiles specifically for each pupil. This could lead to more appropriate interventions that help children with ASC access the same level of education and schooling experience as neurotypical children.