Abstract

BackgroundUnusual behavioral reactions to sensory stimuli are frequently reported in individuals on the autism spectrum (AS). Despite the early emergence of sensory features (< age 3) and their potential impact on development and quality of life, little is known about the neural mechanisms underlying sensory reactivity in early childhood autism.MethodsHere, we used electroencephalography (EEG) to investigate tactile cortical processing in young children aged 3–6 years with autism and in neurotypical (NT) children. Scalp EEG was recorded from 33 children with autism, including those with low cognitive and/or verbal abilities, and 45 age- and sex-matched NT children during passive tactile fingertip stimulation. We compared properties of early and later somatosensory-evoked potentials (SEPs) and their adaptation with repetitive stimulation between autistic and NT children and assessed whether these neural measures are linked to “real-world” parent-reported tactile reactivity.ResultsAs expected, we found elevated tactile reactivity in children on the autism spectrum. Our findings indicated no differences in amplitude or latency of early and mid-latency somatosensory-evoked potentials (P50, N80, P100), nor adaptation between autistic and NT children. However, latency of later processing of tactile information (N140) was shorter in young children with autism compared to NT children, suggesting faster processing speed in young autistic children. Further, correlational analyses and exploratory analyses using tactile reactivity as a grouping variable found that enhanced early neural responses were associated with greater tactile reactivity in autism.LimitationsThe relatively small sample size and the inclusion of a broad range of autistic children (e.g., with low cognitive and/or verbal abilities) may have limited our power to detect subtle group differences and associations. Hence, replications are needed to verify these results.ConclusionsOur findings suggest that electrophysiological somatosensory cortex processing measures may be indices of “real-world” tactile reactivity in early childhood autism. Together, these findings advance our understanding of the neurophysiological mechanisms underlying tactile reactivity in early childhood autism and, in the clinical context, may have therapeutic implications.

Highlights

  • Autism spectrum (AS) describes a heterogeneous neurodevelopmental condition diagnosed based on social communication deficits and restricted, repetitive behaviors [6]

  • Our findings suggest that electrophysiological somatosensory cortex processing measures may be indices of “real-world” tactile reactivity in early childhood autism

  • The present study investigated tactile cortical responses in young children aged 3–6 years on the autism spectrum compared to NT children, and explored whether these neural responses relate to parent-reported tactile reactivity

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Summary

Introduction

Autism spectrum (AS) describes a heterogeneous neurodevelopmental condition diagnosed based on social communication deficits and restricted, repetitive behaviors [6]. Far less work has been done to understand unusual reactions to tactile stimuli in autism (e.g., avoiding light touch as occurs with grooming and from clothing or seeking out pressure stimuli), despite the central role of touch in early development of social, communication and motor abilities [17, 84]. It is during the early years of life that tactile difficulties emerge (< age 3 years) [53, 61] and may exacerbate the core social communicative and behavioral features observed in autism [38, 74]. Despite the early emergence of sensory features (< age 3) and their potential impact on development and quality of life, little is known about the neural mechanisms underlying sensory reactivity in early childhood autism

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