Relationship between physiological and parent-observed auditory over-responsiveness in children with typical development and those with autism spectrum disorders.
Hidetoshi Takahashi, Takayuki Nakahachi, Andrew Stickley and 2 others
PMID 28286962WHAT IT FOUND
Children with autism blinked more strongly to sounds of 95 dB or lower and took longer to blink.
These body responses were related to parent reports of sensory difficulties, but the study was small and did not test treatment.
Key findings
01Children with autism had larger eyeblink startle responses to sounds of 95 dB or lower and took longer to blink than typically developing children.
02Across the combined sample, higher Sensory Profile scores were associated with larger startle responses to sounds at 95 dB or lower.
03The groups did not differ in how startle responses changed with repeated sounds or with a brief warning sound.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for OTsWhat it means for SLPs
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What it does not show
The autism group was small, and one child did not complete the startle session, so the study may have missed other differences or relationships. All participants had estimated IQ above 70 and no intellectual disability, so findings may not apply to children with lower cognitive ability. The startle sounds were white noise, not speech or everyday environmental sounds, so reactions to specific pitches or classroom sounds were not tested. The study did not test sounds below 65 dB or above 105 dB, which could matter for very low or very high threshold responses. It was a cross-sectional biomarker study, not a treatment study, so it cannot tell clinicians whether these measures change patient care. Group comparisons and correlations were exploratory, and multiple testing correction reduced some significant relationships.
Declared interests
The authors declared no potential conflicts of interest. The work was funded by Japanese government, national centre, and science agency grants.
The easy way to misread this
Do not conclude that startle testing can diagnose or treat sound sensitivity in individual children. This small group study found average differences and correlations, not a validated clinical tool.