Increased context adjustment is associated with auditory sensitivities but not with autistic traits.

The main group comparison used only 23 autistic and 23 non-autistic participants, and the authors note it may have been underpowered. The autistic and non-autistic groups did not differ in auditory sensitivity scores, making it hard to attribute the context-adjustment finding to autism rather than sensory sensitivity. Eleven autistic participants reported antidepressant or anti-anxiety medication, and the authors note medication can affect MMN amplitudes. Hearing was self-reported normal and not objectively measured. Participants were adults aged 18 to 35 years, so findings may not apply to children, and the authors note MMN changes with age. Some non-autistic participants had high anxiety scores, which the authors note may indicate undiagnosed psychopathology. The study used the SPQ as its sensory measure and did not include psychophysical hearing tasks.

The authors declared no conflicts of interest. Funding came from the University of Queensland and the Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Integrative Brain Function.

Do not conclude that autism itself alters auditory prediction-error adjustment. The autistic and non-autistic groups did not differ on the main EEG outcome. The positive finding was an association between auditory sensitivity and context adjustment across participants, not a difference between autistic and non-autistic groups, and no treatment was tested.