2016 Gatlinburg Conference Poster
PS-57
Title: Sensory Hyporesponsivity Predicts Later Difficulties with Language Understanding in Infants at Risk for Autism Spectrum
Disorder
Authors: Sarah Bowman, Abby Morgan, Cara Damiano, Wendy Stone, Lisa Ibañez, Carissa Cascio, Tiffany Woynaroski
Introduction: Individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) often show atypical responses to sensory stimuli, even as early as
infancy. A pattern of hyporesponsivity (characterized by absent or reduced responding to sensory stimuli) in particular seems
most prevalent in, and specific to, ASD. It has been proposed that reduced responsivity to sensory stimuli early in life may
produce cascading effects on higher level abilities, such as spoken language, in individuals with ASD. Past work has found that
sensory hyporesponsivity covaries with concurrent spoken language in preschool and school-age children with ASD. However, to
date no study has evaluated whether hyporesponsivity in infancy predicts future spoken language in children with ASD. A
primary obstacle to this work is our inability to diagnose ASD in infancy. One way to overcome this challenge is to prospectively
study infants who are known to be at high risk for ASD, such as infant siblings of children diagnosed with ASD (Sibs-ASD).
Objectives
This project, a pilot for a larger scale study to be conducted at Vanderbilt University, specifically sought to determine (a) whether
Sibs-ASD differed from infants with a typically developing older sibling (Sibs-TD) in early sensory hyporesponsivity and (b)
whether early hyporesponsivity predicted later spoken language, at least in Sibs-ASD.
Methods: Sensory hyporesponsivity of 14 Sibs-ASD, as well as 18 Sibs-TD was assessed at 18 months using the Sensory
Experiences Questionnaire. Language use and understanding was assessed at 24 months using the Mullen Scales of Early
Learning. An independent samples t-test was used to evaluate mean differences in early hyporesponsivity between Sibs-ASD and
Sibs-TD, and bivariate correlational analyses were used to examine predictive associations between early hyporesponsivity and
later language abilities for Sibs-ASD and Sibs-TD.
Results: We found several anticipated effects, including a trend towards higher hyporesponsivity--reduced responding to
sensory stimuli-- at 18 months in the Sibs-ASD group relative to the Sibs-TD group (d = .64). Hyporesponsivity at 18 months was
strongly predictive of language understanding at 24 months in the Sibs-ASD group (r = -.82), but not the Sibs-TD group.
Associations between early hyporesponsivity and later language use were non-significant.
Discussion: Results provide increased empirical support for the proposal that early sensory differences may produce cascading
effects on higher-level abilities, such as spoken language, in children diagnosed with, or at high risk for, ASD. Findings specifically
suggest that sensory hyporesponsivity may be a valuable predictor of later deficits in language understanding in ASD.
Implications for practice and needs for future research will be discussed.
References/Citations:
• Baranek, G. T., David, F. J., Poe, M. D., Stone, W. L., & Watson, L. R. (2006). Sensory Experiences Questionnaire:
Discriminating sensory features in young children with autism, developmental delays, and typical development. Journal
of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 47(6), 591-601.
• Baranek, G. T., Poe, M., Boyd, B. A., Freuler, A., & Lorenzi, J. (2011). Differential associations between sensory response
patterns and language, social, and communication measures in children with autism or other developmental disabilities.
Journal of Speech, Language, and Hearing Research, 54(6), 1562-1576.
• Baranek, G. T., Watson, L. R., Boyd, B. A., Poe, M. D., David, F. J., & McGuire, L. (2013). Hyporesponsiveness to social and
nonsocial sensory stimuli in children with autism, children with developmental delays, and typically developing children.
Development and Psychopathology, 25(02), 307-320.
• Bryson, S., Zwaigenbaum, L., Brian, J., Roberts, W., Szatmari, P., Rombough, V., & McDermott, C. (2007). A prospective
case series of high-risk infants who developed autism. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 37(1), 12-24.
• Patten, E., Ausderau, K., Watson, L., & Baranek, G. T. (2013). Sensory response patterns in nonverbal children with ASD.
Autism Research and Treatment.