ASD Traits and Sensory Profiles of Normally Developed Adults and Their Relation to Mismatch Negativity in Response to Local and Global Auditory Deviants

Abstract

According to the autism spectrum theory, it is assumed that normally developed persons with high traits of autism spectrum disorders (ASD) share sensitivity to sensory changes with people of ASD, particularly to local rather than global changes. To test this assumption, normally developed students were examined. By using the autism spectrum quotient (AQ), high and low AQ groups were assembled. Sensory processing of participants was assessed by using the adult/adolescent sensory profile (AASP). For the two groups, mismatch negativity (MMN) in response to local and global auditory changes was recorded. The high AQ group revealed a tendency to have a similar AASP to people with ASD. The MMN of the high AQ group showed that responses to global changes were larger than responses to local changes. This result suggests that the high AQ group can easily perceive patterns of local auditory changes, leading to difficulty achieving MMN in response to local changes.