ArticleResearch in autism spectrum disorders2024
Exploring the effects of age and sex on sensory sensitivities in middle and older aged autistic adults.
Article in Research in autism spectrum disorders, 2024. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 3 papers.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
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Who cites it
3 citing papers in PubMed.
- Sleep Problems and Mental Health in Middle-Aged and Older Autistic and Non-Autistic Adults.International journal of geriatric psychiatry · 2026Article
- Validation of the German Glasgow Sensory Questionnaire in autistic adults.BMC psychiatry · 2025Article
- Older Autistic People, Access and Experiences of Services, and the Factors That Affect This.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2024Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
3 authors.
Funding
Abstract
Purpose: Although sensory sensitivities are common among autistic people, few studies have explored how they may be impacted by ageing. Little is known about the experiences of autistic people across adulthood or about the experiences of people assigned female-at-birth. Some results suggest that autistic people assigned female-at-birth report more sensory sensitivities, but little is known about experiences in middle-aged and older autistic people assigned female-at-birth. Methods: This study explored self-reported sensory sensitivities and sensory acuity in 210 autistic people aged 42-80 years old. Associations between age and sensory sensitivities were examined using correlational and regression analyses, and t-tests explored differences based on sex-assigned-at-birth. Results: No significant correlation was observed between age and sensory sensitivities, although older age was associated with poorer sensory acuity. Poorer acuity in vision and hearing was associated with more sensory sensitivities. People assigned female-at-birth reported higher scores for overall sensory sensitivities and low temperature/pain tolerance. Sex-assigned-at-birth, sensory acuity and an age-x-sensory acuity interaction term contributed significantly to a regression model explaining overall sensory sensitivity, but age did not contribute significantly. Conclusion: This cross-sectional study suggests that sensory sensitivities are stable across middle-age and older adulthood. Results contrast with previous studies in young adults which have suggested reduction in sensory sensitivities with age. In keeping with studies of younger people, middle-age and older autistic adults assigned female-at-birth report higher rates of sensory sensitivities than comparably aged autistic adults assigned male-at-birth. If further studies examining individual change in sensory sensitives replicate these results, then they may contribute to understanding care needs of autistic older people.
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Registered trials
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