The relationship between sensory experiences and social functioning in children with autism spectrum disorder

Abstract

Objective: This study was undertaken to substantiate the connection between sensory experiences and social functioning among 142 children ages 4–10 years with autism spectrum disorder. Methods: Using an online cross-sectional survey, mothers’ perceptions of sensory and social characteristics of their children on parent-reported measures of sensory experiences and social functioning were collected. Findings: Using SPSS software to follow the related descriptive statistics and correlational analysis, the results indicated that children had different levels of challenging sensory experiences and social interaction difficulties. It was revealed that higher intensities of sensory issues were associated with lower levels of functioning and greater social interaction difficulties. Further analysis revealed that less awkward, unpleasant experiences in the auditory and tactile sensory functioning correlated with less social difficulties. Conclusions: Given that no causal relationship could be drawn in this study, the findings complemented those of earlier studies, which suggest engagement in social interactions may be correlated with sensory response patterns.

Keywords:

• Sensory disorders
• sensory functions
• social behavior disorders

Acknowledgments

We would like to thank the cooperation of participants and the financial support of Shiraz University of Medical Sciences.

Ethical approval

The present study was approved in 2020 by the ethics committee of Shiraz School of Rehabilitation Sciences affiliated with Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran. (Approval ID: IR.SUMS.REHAB.REC.1399.047).

Author contributions

All authors made contributions to the study conception and design. Data analysis was done by SAD. All authors made contributions to the interpretation of data. SAD prepared the initial draft of the manuscript. All authors have reviewed, approved, and consented to the submission, and they are accountable for all aspects of its accuracy and integrity in accordance with ICMJE criteria.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Data availability statement

The data that support the findings of this study are available from the corresponding author, Bahareh Zeynalzadeh Ghoochani, upon reasonable request.

Additional information

Funding

This research was financially supported by Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran (Grant number: 22581).