Stop Making Noise! Auditory Sensitivity in Adults with an Autism Spectrum Disorder Diagnosis: Physiological Habituation and Subjective Detection Thresholds.

Five participants had unusable physiological data because of electrode problems, and non-responders were excluded from habituation analyses: 21.2% of the ASD group and 12.9% of the TD group. ASD non-responders had higher ADOS social affect and total scores than ASD responders, so the habituation results may not apply to adults with more visible ASD symptoms who did not respond physiologically. About 60% of the ASD group did not meet the ADOS-2 module 4 total score cut-off of 8, so the sample may have been milder than a typical ASD clinic group. The control group did not receive ADOS assessment, so some undetected ASD traits in the TD group cannot be ruled out. Detection threshold was measured only for a 1000 Hz tone, so it may not capture sensitivity across all frequencies. The study reports lab measures and self-report, not a therapy or intervention outcome.

Do not conclude that adults with ASD habituate more slowly to sounds or hear sounds at lower levels than adults without ASD. The study found no group differences in skin conductance habituation or detection thresholds. The higher reported sensitivity and arousal ratings were subjective measures.