Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

The Role of Attention in Somatosensory Processing: A Multi-trait, Multi-method Analysis

  • Original Paper
  • Published:
Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Sensory processing abnormalities in autism have largely been described by parent report. This study used a multi-method (parent-report and measurement), multi-trait (tactile sensitivity and attention) design to evaluate somatosensory processing in ASD. Results showed multiple significant within-method (e.g., parent report of different traits)/cross-trait (e.g., attention and tactile sensitivity) correlations, suggesting that parent-reported tactile sensory dysfunction and performance-based tactile sensitivity describe different behavioral phenomena. Additionally, both parent-reported tactile functioning and performance-based tactile sensitivity measures were significantly associated with measures of attention. Findings suggest that sensory (tactile) processing abnormalities in ASD are multifaceted, and may partially reflect a more global deficit in behavioral regulation (including attention). Challenges of relying solely on parent-report to describe sensory difficulties faced by children/families with ASD are also highlighted.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Allen, G., & Courchesne, E. (2001). The problem with using eye-gaze to infer desire: A deficit of cue inference in children with autism spectrum disorder? Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 37, 1761–1775.

    Google Scholar 

  • American Psychiatric Association. (2013). Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders (5th ed.). Washington, DC: American Psychiatric Publications.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ames, C., & Fletcher-Watson, S. (2010). A review of methods in the study of attention in autism. Developmental Review, 30(10), 52–73.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Blankenburg, F., Taskin, B., Ruben, J., Moosmann, M., Ritter, P., Curio, G., et al. (2003). Imperceptible stimuli and sensory processing impediment. Science, 299, 1864.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Casey, B. J., Gordon, C. T., Mannheim, G. B., & Rumsey, J. M. (1993). Dysfunctional attention in autistic savants. Journal of Clinical and Experimental Neuropsychology, 15, 933–946.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Conners, C. K. (1997). Conners’ Parent Rating Scale-Revised (L). Tonawanda, NY: Multi-Health Systems.

    Google Scholar 

  • Conners, C. K. (2008). Conners’ Parent Rating Scale-Third Edition. Tonawanda, NY: Multi-Health Systems.

    Google Scholar 

  • Domínguez-Borràs, J., & Vuilleumier, P. (2013). Affective biases in attention and perception. In J. Armony & P. Vuilleumier (Eds.), The Cambridge handbook of human affective neuroscience. New York, NY: Cambridge University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Fan, J., McCandliss, B. D., Sommer, T., Raz, M., & Posner, M. I. (2002). Testing the efficiency and independence of attentional networks. Journal of Cognitive Neuroscience, 14, 340–347.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Favorov, O. V., & Kursun, O. (2011). Neocortical layer 4 as a pluripotent function linearizer. Journal of Neurophysiology, 105, 1342–1360.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Gaetz, W., Bloy, L., Wang, D. J., Port, R. G., Blaskey, L., Levy, S. E., et al. (2014). GABA estimation in the brains of children on the autism spectrum: Measurement precision and regional cortical variation. Neuroimage, 86, 1–9.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Hilton, C. L., Harper, J. D., Kueker, R. H., Lang, A. R., Abbacchi, A. M., Todorov, A., et al. (2001). Sensory responsiveness as a predictor of social severity in children with high functioning autism spectrum disorders. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders. doi:10.1007/s10803-010-0944-8.

    Google Scholar 

  • Holden, J. K., Nguyen, R. H., Francisco, E. M., Zhang, Z., Dennis, R. G., & Tommerdahl, M. (2012). A novel device for the study of somatosensory information processing. Journal of Neuroscience Methods, 204, 215–220.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Lord, C., Rutter, M., & Le Couteur, A. (1994). Autism Diagnostic Interview-Revised: A revised version of a diagnostic interview for caregivers of individuals with possible pervasive developmental disorders. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 24, 659–685.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Lord, C., Risi, S. Lambrecht, L., Cook, E. H. J., Leventhal, B. L., CiLavore, P. C., et al. (2000). The autism diagnostic observation schedule-generic: A standard measure of social and communication deficits associated with the spectrum of autism. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 30, 205–223. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11055457.

  • Manly, T., Anderson, V., Nimmo-Smith, I., Turner, A., Watson, P., et al. (2001). The differential assessment of children’s attention: The Test of Everyday Attention for Children (TEA-Ch), normative sample and ADHD performance. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 42, 1065–1081. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11806689.

  • Manly, T., Robertson, I. H., Anderson, V., & Nimmo-Smith, I. (1999). The Test of Everyday Attention for Children. Bury St. Edmunds: Thames Valley Test Company Limited.

    Google Scholar 

  • Parham, L. D., & Ecker, C. (2007). Sensory processing measure-home form. Los Angeles, CA: Western Psychological Services.

    Google Scholar 

  • Puts, N. A., Edden, R. A., Evans, C. J., McGlone, F., & McGonigle, D. J. (2011). Regionally specific human GABA concentration correlates with tactile discrimination thresholds. Journal of Neuroscience, 31, 16556–16560.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Puts, N. A. J., Edden, R. A. E., Wodka, E. L., Mostofsky, S. H., & Tommerdahl, M. (2013). A vibrotactile behavioral battery for investigating somatosensory processing in children and adults. Journal of Neuroscience Methods, 218, 39–47.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Puts, N. A. J., Harris, A. D., Crocetti, D., Nettles, C., Singer, H., Tommerdahl, M., et al. (2015). Reduced GABAergic inhibition and abnormal sensory symptoms in children with Tourette syndrome. Journal of Neurophysiology, 114, 808–817. doi:10.1152/jn.00060.2015.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Puts, N. A. J., Wodka, E. L., Tommerdahl, M., Mostofsky, S. H., & Edden, R. A. E. (2014). Impaired tactile processing in children with autism spectrum disorder. Journal of Neurophysiology,. doi:10.1152/jn.00890.2013.

    Google Scholar 

  • Reich, W., Welner, Z., & Herjanic, B. (1997). The Diagnostic Interview for Children and Adolescents-IV. North Tonawanda: Multi-Health Systems.

    Google Scholar 

  • Rogers, S. J., & Ozonoff, S. (2005). Annotation: What do we know about sensory dysfunction in autism? A critical review of the empirical evidence. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 26, 1255–1268. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16313426.

  • Rojas, D. C., Singel, D., Steinmetz, S., Hepburn, S., & Brown, M. S. (2014). Decreased left perisylvian GABA concentration in children with autism and unaffected siblings. Neuroimage, 86, 28–34.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Simons, S. B., Tannan, V., Chiu, J., Favorov, O. V., Whitsel, B. L., et al. (2005). Amplitude-dependency of response of SI cortex to flutter stimulation. BMC Neuroscience, 21, 43–57. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15969752.

  • Tannan, V., Simons, S., Dennis, R. G., & Tommerdahl, M. (2007). Effects of adaptation on the capacity to differentiate simultaneously delivered dual-site vibrotactile stimuli. Brain Research, 1186, 164–170.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Tomchek, S. D., & Dunn, W. (2007). Sensory processing in children with and without autism: A comparative study using the short sensory profile. American Journal of Occupational Therapy, 61, 190–200. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17436841.

  • Tommerdahl, M. Tannan, V., Cascio, C. J., Baranek, G. T., & Whitsel, B. L. (2007). Vibrotactile adaptation fails to enhance spatial localization in adults with autism. Brain Research, 11, 116–123. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17498672.

  • Tommerdahl, M., Favorov, O. V., & Whitsel, B. L. (2010). Dynamic representations of the somatosensory cortex. Neuroscience and Biobehavioral Reviews, 34. 160–170. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15969752.

  • Wechsler, D. L. (2003). Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children (4th ed.). San Antonio, TX: The Psychological Corporation.

    Google Scholar 

  • Whitsel, B. L., Kelly, E. F., Quibrera, M., Tommerdahl, M., Li, Y., Favorov, O. V., et al. (2003). Time-dependence of SI RA neuron response to cutaneous flutter stimulation. Somatosensory Motor Research, 20, 45–69.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Wodka, E. L., Koriakin, T., Puts, N. A. J., Mahone, E. M., Edden, R. A. E., et al. (2014). Relationship between attention, hyperactivity/impulsivity, and sensory behavior in autism. Journal of the International Neuropsychological Society, S1(20), 203.

    Google Scholar 

  • Zhang, Z., Francisco, E. M., Holden, J. K., Dennis, R. G., & Tommerdahl, M. (2011). Somatosensory information processing in the aging population. Frontiers of Aging Neuroscience, 3, 18.

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgments

This study was funded by The Organization for Autism Research (OAR) (ELW). Autism Speaks Translational Postdoctoral Fellowship (NAJP). NIH R01NS048527 and Autism Speaks (SHM). NIH R21 MH098228 (RAEE). Intellectual & Developmental Disabilities Research Centers (IDDRC) U54 079123. We would also like to acknowledge Taylor Koriakin for her efforts related to data collection and database management.

Author Contributions

ELW conceived of the study, participated in its design and coordination and drafted the manuscript; NAJP participated in the design, interpretation of the data, and revision of the manuscript; EMM participated in the design of the study and revision of the manuscript; RAEE participated in the design of the study and revision of the manuscript; MT participated in the design of the study and revision of the manuscript; SHM participated in the design of the study and revision of the manuscript, and provided participants through his ongoing studies. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Center for Autism and Related Disorders, Kennedy Krieger Institute, 3901 Greenspring Avenue, Baltimore, MD, 21211, USA

    Ericka L. Wodka & Stewart H. Mostofsky

  2. Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, 600 N. Wolf St., Baltimore, MD, 21287, USA

    Ericka L. Wodka, E. Mark Mahone & Stewart H. Mostofsky

  3. Russell H. Morgan Department of Radiology and Radiological Science, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, 600 N. Wolf St., Baltimore, MD, 21287, USA

    Nicolaas A. J. Puts & Richard A. E. Edden

  4. F.M. Kirby Center for Functional Brain Imaging, Kennedy Krieger Institute, 801 N. Broadway St., Baltimore, MD, 21205, USA

    Nicolaas A. J. Puts & Richard A. E. Edden

  5. Department of Neuropsychology, Kennedy Krieger Institute, 1750 E. Fairmount Ave., Baltimore, MD, 21231, USA

    E. Mark Mahone

  6. Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, 27599, USA

    Mark Tommerdahl

  7. Center for Neurodevelopmental and Imaging Research, Kennedy Krieger Institute, 716 N. Broadway St., Baltimore, MD, 21205, USA

    Stewart H. Mostofsky

  8. Department of Neurology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, 600 N. Wolf St., Baltimore, MD, 21287, USA

    Stewart H. Mostofsky

Authors
  1. Ericka L. Wodka
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Nicolaas A. J. Puts
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. E. Mark Mahone
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Richard A. E. Edden
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. Mark Tommerdahl
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  6. Stewart H. Mostofsky
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Ericka L. Wodka.

Ethics declarations

Conflict of interest

Mark Tommerdahl is co-inventor of the tactile stimulator used in the study and is co-founder of Cortical Metrics, which has a license from the University of North Carolina to distribute the device.

Ethical approval

All procedures performed in studies involving human participants were in accordance with the ethical standards of the institutional and/or national research committee and with the 1964 Helsinki declaration and its later amendments or comparable ethical standards.

Informed Consent

Informed consent was obtained from all individual participants included in the study.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Wodka, E.L., Puts, N.A.J., Mahone, E.M. et al. The Role of Attention in Somatosensory Processing: A Multi-trait, Multi-method Analysis. J Autism Dev Disord 46, 3232–3241 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10803-016-2866-6

Download citation

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10803-016-2866-6

Keywords

Search

Navigation