Autonomic Dysregulation During Sensory Stimulation in Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder

Autonomic nervous system (ANS) activity during sensory stimulation was measured in 59 children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) ages 6–9 in comparison to 30 typically developing controls. Multivariate comparisons revealed significant differences between groups in the respiratory sinus arrhythmia...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of autism and developmental disorders 2015-02, Vol.45 (2), p.461-472
Main Authors: Schaaf, Roseann C., Benevides, Teal W., Leiby, Benjamin E., Sendecki, Jocelyn A.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Autism
Autism Spectrum Disorders
Autonomic Nervous System - physiopathology
Behavioral Science and Psychology
Case-Control Studies
Child
Child and School Psychology
Child Development Disorders, Pervasive - physiopathology
Children
Comparative Analysis
Complications and side effects
Demographic aspects
Developmental Delays
Electrocardiography
Female
Humans
Male
Multivariate Analysis
Neurology
Neurosciences
Original Paper
Pediatrics
Perception - physiology
Pervasive Developmental Disorders
Physiological aspects
Psychology
Public Health
Sensory Experience
Sensory stimulation
Stimulation
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Summary:Autonomic nervous system (ANS) activity during sensory stimulation was measured in 59 children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) ages 6–9 in comparison to 30 typically developing controls. Multivariate comparisons revealed significant differences between groups in the respiratory sinus arrhythmia (parasympathetic measure) vector of means across sensory stimuli ( p  = 0.02) and in change from domain to domain ( p  = 0.01). Sympathetic activity, measured by pre-ejection period, did not differ significantly between groups, although it was higher in ASD participants. Findings suggest that participants with ASD demonstrated a different pattern of parasympathetic activity during sensory stimulation. Findings are discussed in relation to the biological mechanisms of sensory processing in autism, insight into the autism phenotype, and the utility of ANS activity as an outcomes marker.
ISSN:0162-3257
1573-3432
DOI:10.1007/s10803-013-1924-6