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Transdiagnostic Patterns of Sensory Processing in Autism and ADHD

  • S:I: .Developmental Approach and Targeted Treatment of Sensory Alterations
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Abstract

Sensory processing abilities are highly variable within and across people diagnosed with autism and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). This study examined the transdiagnostic nature of sensory processing abilities, and their association with features of autism and ADHD, in a large sample of autistic people (n = 495) and people with ADHD (n = 461). Five similar data-driven sensory phenotypes characterized sensory processing abilities, and showed similar patterns of association with features of autism and ADHD, across both diagnostic groups. These results demonstrate the transdiagnostic nature of sensory processing abilities, while contributing to a growing body of literature that suggests the autism and ADHD diagnostic labels have poor explanatory power.

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Availability of Data and Materials

The data that support the findings of this study are available from POND, but restrictions apply to the availability of these data, which were used under license for the current study, and so are not publicly available. Data are however available from the authors upon reasonable request and with permission of POND.

Abbreviations

ADHD:

Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder

GSD:

Generalized sensory difference

LEW:

Low energy with weakness

SA:

Sensory adaptive

SCQ:

Social Communication Questionnaire

SSP:

Short Sensory Profile

TSS:

Taste and smell sensitivity

URSS:

Underresponsive/sensory seeking

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Acknowledgments

We would like to thank all of the families that have participated in the POND Network for supporting this research. We would also like to thank our lab lab(rador) Daisy Doodle Scheerer, the Sensory Perception Research Lab’s research support lab(rador).

Funding

This research was supported by NS’s BrainsCAN Postdoctoral Fellowship at Western University, funded by the Canada First Research Excellence Fund (CFREF). RS is funded by an NSERC Discovery Grant (RGPIN-2017-04656), a SSHRC Insight Grant (435-2017-0936), the University of Western Ontario Faculty Development Research Fund, the province of Ontario Early Researcher Award, and a Canadian Foundation for Innovation John R. Evans Leaders Fund (37497). EK is supported by the Masonic Foundation of Ontario. The POND Network is part of an Integrated Discovery System that is funded by the Ontario Brain Institute.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Wilfrid Laurier University, 75 University Ave West, Waterloo, ON, N2L 3C5, Canada

    Nichole E. Scheerer

  2. Western University, 1151 Richmond St, London, ON, N6A 3K7, Canada

    Nichole E. Scheerer, Anahid Pourtousi, Connie Yang, Zining Ding, Bobby Stojanoski, Robert Nicolson & Ryan A. Stevenson

  3. University of Ontario Institute of Technology, 2000 Simcoe Street North, Oshawa, ON, L1H 7K4, Canada

    Bobby Stojanoski

  4. Holland Bloorview Kids Rehabilitation Hospital, 150 Kilgour Rd, East York, ON, M4G 1R8, Canada

    Evdokia Anagnostou

  5. Queens University, 62 Arch St, Kingston, ON, K7L 3N6, Canada

    Elizabeth Kelley & Muhammad Ayub

  6. McMaster University, 1280 Main St W, Hamilton, ON, L8S 4L8, Canada

    Stelios Georgiades

  7. The Hospital for Sick Children, 555 University Ave, Toronto, ON, M5G 1X8, Canada

    Jennifer Crosbie & Russell Schachar

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  1. Nichole E. Scheerer
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  2. Anahid Pourtousi
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Contributions

NES, AP, CY, ZD, BS, EA, RN, EK, SG, JC, RS, MA, and RAS were involved in the conception and design of this work, EA, RN, EK, SG, JC, RS were involved in the acquisition, while NES, AP, CY, ZD, BS, and RAS were involved in the analysis of the data. NES, AP, CY, ZD, and RAS were involved in the interpretation of the data, NES and AP were involved in the drafting of the manuscript and NES, AP, and RAS revised the manuscript. All authors have read and approved the final submitted version of the manuscript and have agreed to both be personally accountable for the author’s own contributions and to ensure that questions related to the accuracy or integrity of any part of the work, even ones in which the author was not personally involved, are appropriately investigated, resolved, and the resolution documented in the literature.

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Correspondence to Nichole E. Scheerer.

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All authors declare that they have no relevant financial or non-financial interests to disclose.

Ethical Approval and Consent to Participate

Study procedures were approved by the Research Ethics Board at Western University and were in accordance with the World Medical Association’s 2013 Declaration of Helsinki. Informed consent was obtained from parents prior to the start of testing, and assent was obtained from individuals where applicable.

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Scheerer, N.E., Pourtousi, A., Yang, C. et al. Transdiagnostic Patterns of Sensory Processing in Autism and ADHD. J Autism Dev Disord 54, 280–292 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10803-022-05798-3

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