Social Interaction and Atypical Sensory Processing in Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders

SummaryObjective/BackgroundMany children with autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) have sensory processing disorders (SPDs), which may limit many facets of daily life, including social interaction, an important domain of occupational therapy. Therefore, we examined the relationship between social interaction deficits and SPD in 4–6-year-old children with ASD without intellectual disorders.MethodsThe Social Responsiveness Scale (SRS) and the Japanese Sensory Inventory-Revised (JSI-R) questionnaires were administered to parents of children with ASD and children in the control group (n = 42 each).ResultsResponse analyses revealed significant intergroup differences in scores for the questionnaires, with more atypical sensory processing patterns and social interaction deficits observed in children with ASD. Significant correlations were observed between the SRS total raw scores and subcategory scores of all sensory modalities of the JSI-R in the entire experimental group. The SPD symptoms were significantly associated with social interaction deficits in children with ASD.ConclusionIt is important that occupational therapists consider SPD symptoms in children with ASD to provide early intervention for social interaction deficits.