Associations Between Sensory Processing and Cognitive Functioning in Children with ASD

As many as 95% of individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) experience atypical sensory processing. The ever-present nature of sensory stimuli presents a significant challenge to daily adaptive functioning for these individuals. Although previously unexplored, it is particularly important to understand how sensory stimuli impede an individual’s ability to learn and perform cognitive tasks, especially given the overwhelming sensory nature of many education and workplace environments. Overwhelming settings such as these activate the autonomic nervous system’s stress response, which may be a key mechanism in the relationship between sensory processing and cognitive functioning in ASD. In the proposed study, we will comprehensively characterize sensory responsivity using a multi-method approach. We will collect autonomic measurements during a standardized sensory paradigm in children with ASD and a matched group of typically developing children. We will then relate these laboratory findings to the children’s real-world experiences by measuring their subjective appraisals, as well as their and their parent’s reports of sensory experiences in daily life. To model the impact of sensory reactivity on academic functioning, we will investigate the relationship between noise (a pervasive and challenging sensory stimulus) and performance by experimentally manipulating noise levels and task difficulty during cognitive measures. Furthermore, we will concurrently collect sympathetic and parasympathetic responses during the cognitive tasks to explore the potentially mechanistic role of autonomic arousal in this relationship. The current study’s multi-method approach will transform our understanding of the ways in which individuals with ASD process their sensory world, and how this, in turn, affects their cognitive functioning. Results of the proposed project will inform our understanding of neurological and physiological processes as well as be directly translatable to educational, clinical, and workplace settings to improve the lives of individuals of all ages with ASD.