Parental descriptions of sensory processing in Autism

The processing of sensory information in autistic people has a major impact on their daily lives. Current research faces challenges in fully capturing the heterogeneity of sensory profiles in autism, but caregiver perspectives could offer valuable insights, deepening our understanding of these differences in sensory experiences. The present study aimed to explore this sensory processing characterization based on the testimonies from caregivers of children and adults with autism to contribute to the knowledge obtained from answers to questionnaires. Caregivers of 15 participants with autism, aged between 4 and 34 years, participated in focus group sessions. Each session was conducted using open-ended questions on sensory processing, and their responses were analyzed by means of semantic analysis using NVivo software. A thematic analysis of the data corpus highlighted three themes of behavioral responsivity to sensory input as reported by parents: (1) sensory input, (2) sensory modulation, and (3) impact on daily life. Sensory input encompassed seven sub-themes related to sensory channels. Sensory modulation allowed for the identification of sub-themes such as sensory overload, emotional regulation, and regulation strategies. Finally, the theme of the impact on daily life highlighted sub-themes of reactions to change, feeding problems, and risk-taking behaviors. These findings suggest that some identified aspects, such as stimming and sensory-seeking, sensory overload and regulation strategies could potentially be added to sensory evaluations. • Parents often report stimming as being sensory-related. • The urban environment is described as a trigger for sensory overload. • Regulation strategies provide key insights into the overall sensory profile. • A pilot study could test the reliability of the identified sub-themes.