Sensory Features as a Marker of Autism Spectrum Disorders

We explored sensory features as distinguishing characteristics of Autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Four groups of males (n = 36): Six with 47, XYY syndrome and ASD (XYY+ASD), six with 47, XYY syndrome and no ASD (XYY−ASD), 12 with idiopathic ASD (ASD-I) and 12 typically developing (TYP). The short sensory profile (SSP) the sensory challenge protocol (SCP) were used to assess sensory features. SSP Total Score for the YY+ASD was significantly lower than the XYY−ASD (p =.002) and TYP (p <.001), but were not different from ASD-I (p =.714). The XYY+ASD group had significantly lower baseline heart rate variability during the SCP than TYP (p =.044). Findings provide preliminary support of sensory features as important in ASD diagnosis.