Sensory Processing Modalities and Their Associations With Academic Achievement in Autism and Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder.
Jennifer C Bullen, Lindsay Swain Lerro, Tessa Hesse and 3 others
PMID 41462002WHAT IT FOUND
Direct auditory processing tests, not parent reports of sensory issues, linked to reading and math scores in autistic and ADHD children.
Poor ability to hear speech in noise tracked with lower academic achievement. This suggests checking hearing-in-noise skills, not just asking parents about sensory habits.
Key findings
01Directly measured auditory processing difficulties, particularly hearing speech in noise, were associated with lower reading and math achievement in both autistic and ADHD groups, whereas parent-reported visual and touch difficulties were not.
02Parent reports of auditory sensitivity correlated with direct auditory processing scores in autistic children but not in children with ADHD or neurotypical children.
03Autistic and ADHD children had significantly worse direct auditory processing scores than neurotypical peers, while autistic children specifically had more parent-reported touch difficulties.
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 study excluded children with intellectual disabilities (IQ < 70), so findings may not apply to those with co-occurring ID. The sample was primarily White and male, limiting generalizability. The ADHD group was small (34 participants), reducing statistical power for that group. 22 autistic children also had ADHD; while the authors ran sensitivity analyses excluding them, the complex interaction of co-occurring conditions remains unclear. No self-report data from the children themselves was collected, relying only on parent report and direct testing.
Declared interests
The authors declare no conflicts of interest.
The easy way to misread this
Do not assume parent-reported sensory sensitivities (like dislike of loud noises) are a proxy for auditory processing ability. In the ADHD group, parent reports and direct test scores were unrelated, and parent reports did not predict academic achievement. Direct testing is required to identify functional auditory processing deficits linked to learning.
Summarised by AI from the full paper, without a clinician reviewing it. Check it against the source before it changes what you do. Read it on PubMed →