Unwin Katy L, Philpott-Robinson Kelsey, Barbaro Josephine, Dwyer Patrick, Sadka Nancy, Date Perrin, Lane Alison E
Department of Psychology, Counselling, and Therapy, La Trobe University, Melbourne, Australia.
Olga Tennison Autism Research Centre, La Trobe University, Melbourne, Australia.
Autism. 2025 Aug;29(8):2084-2096. doi: 10.1177/13623613251335069. Epub 2025 Apr 25.
Sensory differences are well documented in autistic individuals. However, early sensory experiences have not been fully explored, particularly from the perspective of autistic people. We sought to understand early sensory experiences in autism from the perspective of autistic adults (some of whom also had autistic children) and caregivers of autistic children (some of whom also had a personal autism diagnosis). Using a qualitative descriptive design, aligned with a constructivist paradigm, focus groups were conducted with 3 autistic adults and 12 caregivers of autistic children. Data were analysed with reflexive thematic analysis. Five themes were generated accounting for early sensory experiences in autism: (1) Acknowledging the uniqueness of sensory preferences, (2) Negative impacts of different sensory experiences, (3) Feeling different and the pursuit of belonging, (4) Controlling sensory experiences to support daily function, and finally (5) Overcoming the challenges of the sensory world. The findings highlight the specific sensory needs of autistic children in early childhood and the adaptability of caregivers. This information can help young autistic people and caregivers advocate the importance of recognising the uniqueness of each autistic child's sensory preferences when seeking support.Lay AbstractSensory behaviours in early childhood can impact how autistic children experience and engage in the world. There is a lot of research about sensory differences in autistic children; however, there is very little known about experiences in early childhood. We asked 3 autistic adults and 12 caregivers of autistic children about their/their child's experiences of sensory behaviours in early childhood. In our sample, autistic adults and caregivers of autistic children shared similar experiences about the challenges they/their children face related to sensory experiences in early childhood and how they overcame these. The findings can influence how researchers and service providers view sensory preferences in early childhood by understanding that everyone's preferences are unique, and the importance of advocating for what works for each autistic person.
自闭症个体的感官差异已有充分记录。然而，早期感官体验尚未得到充分探索，尤其是从自闭症患者自身的角度。我们试图从成年自闭症患者（其中一些人也有自闭症子女）和自闭症儿童的照顾者（其中一些人自身也被诊断为自闭症）的角度来了解自闭症早期的感官体验。采用与建构主义范式相一致的定性描述设计，对3名成年自闭症患者和12名自闭症儿童的照顾者进行了焦点小组访谈。运用反思性主题分析法对数据进行了分析。生成了五个主题，用以解释自闭症早期的感官体验：（1）承认感官偏好的独特性；（2）不同感官体验的负面影响；（3）感觉与众不同与对归属感的追求；（4）控制感官体验以支持日常功能；最后（5）克服感官世界的挑战。研究结果突出了自闭症儿童在幼儿期的特殊感官需求以及照顾者的适应能力。这些信息有助于自闭症青少年及其照顾者在寻求支持时，倡导认识到每个自闭症儿童感官偏好独特性的重要性。
幼儿期的感官行为会影响自闭症儿童体验世界和融入世界的方式。关于自闭症儿童的感官差异已有大量研究；然而，对于幼儿期的体验却知之甚少。我们询问了3名成年自闭症患者和12名自闭症儿童的照顾者，了解他们/他们孩子在幼儿期的感官行为体验。在我们的样本中，成年自闭症患者和自闭症儿童的照顾者在他们/他们孩子在幼儿期面临的与感官体验相关的挑战以及他们如何克服这些挑战方面，有着相似的经历。这些发现可以影响研究人员和服务提供者对幼儿期感官偏好的看法，即认识到每个人的偏好都是独特的，以及倡导为每个自闭症患者找到适用方法的重要性。
