Approaches to Understanding Multisensory Dysfunction in Autism Spectrum Disorder.
Justin K Siemann, Jeremy Veenstra-VanderWeele, Mark T Wallace
PMID 32869933WHAT IT FOUND
Individuals with autism often process sight and sound less effectively together, especially with complex speech.
This may hinder social communication. However, therapies targeting these sensory links are still in early research stages and not yet proven to improve core symptoms.
Key findings
01People with ASD perceive audiovisual illusions like the McGurk effect less frequently than typically developing individuals, suggesting reduced multisensory integration.
02The temporal binding window, which determines how close in time sights and sounds must be to be perceived as one event, is wider in individuals with ASD, particularly for complex stimuli like speech.
03Sensory-based therapies currently show mixed results, with evidence suggesting little efficacy or a need for more research.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for SLPs
Read the rest of this summary
You get three full summaries a month, free, and we do not ask for a card. Search, the TL;DRs and your library stay unlimited either way.
What it does not show
This is a narrative review, not a systematic review or meta-analysis, so it may not capture all relevant studies or provide a balanced quantitative synthesis. Much of the mechanistic evidence comes from animal models, which may not fully replicate human ASD symptoms. The link between multisensory deficits and core social communication symptoms is correlational and not yet proven to be causal. Clinical trials of sensory-based therapies have shown mixed or negative results, limiting immediate practical application.
Declared interests
The authors declare no conflicts of interest. The work was supported by the National Institutes of Health (N.I.H.) and non-U.S. government sources.
The easy way to misread this
Do not assume that treating sensory processing issues will automatically improve social communication skills. While the review suggests a link, current evidence for sensory-based therapies improving core ASD symptoms is weak, and animal model successes have not translated to human clinical trials.