The Sensory Abnormalities and Neuropsychopathology of Autism and Anxiety

Validation of the German Glasgow Sensory Questionnaire and replication of sensory processing differences in students with higher and lower Autism-Spectrum Quotient

BACKGROUND

The Glasgow Sensory Questionnaire (GSQ) gives insight into sensory processing differences (hypo- and hyper-sensitivity across modalities), which is a clinically defining characteristic of autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Because there is no validated German version of this instrument, this study aimed at validating the German GSQ. Further, a replication of the GSQ's sensory processing differences was intended.

METHODS

University students of Technische Universität or Universitätsklinikum in Dresden, Germany, were recruited via email distribution or the university homepage and 297 German-speaking students completed the online survey, comprising the German GSQ, Autism-Spectrum Quotient (AQ) and Symptom-Checklist (SCL-90). For validation of the German GSQ, confirmatory factor analyses followed by exploratory factor analyses were applied.

RESULTS

The German GSQ has moderate to low validity, good to acceptable reliability, and a different internal structure from the original GSQ. Replicating the sensory processing differences in students with higher and lower AQ was not successful.

CONCLUSIONS

Results indicate that the GSQ, developed especially for individuals with ASD, is less informative for the general population if there are not enough individuals with higher AQ scores in the sample.

Early risk factors for anxiety disorders in children with autism spectrum disorders: results from the ELENA Cohort

Anxiety in children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) negatively affects their social interactions, and quality of life. It is necessary to identify early risk factors for anxiety to tailor prevention and interventions. We aimed to examine the clinical level of anxiety in children with ASD from 5 to 10 years of age and identify potential early risk factors 3 years earlier. Participants were ASD children included in ELENA, a French prospective cohort. In this study, we used the collection of data at Time 1-T1 (at baseline) and Time 2-T2 (3 years after T1). Two groups were identified at T2 according to the threshold for anxiety on the CBCL: ASD-only group and ASD + anxiety group. Our results showed that half of the children in our sample had a clinical level of anxiety at T2. Regression analysis showed that greater ASD severity and lower sensory processing difficulties predicted lower anxiety, whereas higher levels of restricted and repetitive behaviours tended to predict higher levels of anxiety. The high prevalence of clinical-level anxiety in our sample suggests the need for specific assessment and targeted treatment of anxiety on a routine basis.