Auditory hyper-responsiveness in autism spectrum disorder, terminologies and physiological mechanisms involved: Systematic review

Abstract

Purpose: this paper aims to identify the most used terminologies to designate the disproportional behavior to sounds in the autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and its relationship with the respective tools for its investigation, as well as its occurrence and outcomes. Research strategies: the databases used were PubMed, PsycEMFO, Web of Science, Scielo and Lilacs. The keywords used were "autism", "hyperacusis" and "auditor)' perception'1, with the following combinations: "autism AND hyperacusis" and "autism AND auditory perception". Selection criteria: individuals diagnosed with ASD of any age group; available abstract; papers in English, Spanish and Brazilian Portuguese; case series, prevalence and incidence studies, cohort and clinical trials. Data analysis: we analyzed studies with individuals diagnosed with ASD of any age group; reference in the title and/or summary of the occurrence of disproportional behavior to sounds, accepting the terms hyper-responsiveness, hypersensitivity and hyperacusis; summary available; papers in English, Spanish and Brazilian Portuguese; series of cases, prevalence and incidence studies, cohort and clinical trials. Results: Of the 692 studies resulting from the consultation, 13 studies could achieve the established requirements. Conclusion: The term auditory hypersensitivity was the most commonly used to designate disproportional behavior to sounds, followed by hyperacusis. There was no relationship between the terms and the respective research tool, and the questionnaires were the most used to designate the referred behavior, whose reported frequency was from 42.1% to 69.0%. The auditory behavior tests when performed showed the involvement of the auditory, afferent and efferent neural pathways.