Emotion Recognition in Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder. Does Level of Sensory Responsiveness Matter?

Abstract

Current research reveals an important role of cognitive strategies in the development of the ability to recognize emotions in persons with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Therefore, a closer look at the relationship between emotion recognition deficits in that group and the underlying sensory integration processes may prove relevant for explaining the origins of this deficit. In order to verify the existence and scope of the relationship between emotion recognition and the level of sensory responsiveness in children with ASD, a study was carried out among a group of 63 children with an ASD diagnosis, aged between 3 years and 7 months to 9 years and 3, months using the Emotion Recognition subscale from the Theory of Mind Mechanism Scale and the Sensory Experiences Questionnaire. The obtained results revealed that only the level of sensory hyporesponsiveness was a predictor of the level of emotion recognition in the sample. Confirming the role of the level of sensory hyporesponsiveness in explaining the deficit in emotion recognition provides a better understanding of the genesis of this deficit. It also justifies the need to include sensory hyporesponsiveness therapy in the educational and rehabilitation process aimed at improving the children with ASD’s emotion recognition abilities.