ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Psychol.
Sec. Psychopathology
Volume 16 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2025.1632880
This article is part of the Research TopicSensory Processing in Autism: Mechanisms, Impacts and InterventionsView all 4 articles
ADHD and ASD traits are differentially associated with orientation sensitivity in a non-clinical adult sample
Provisionally accepted
- 1University of Sheffield, Sheffield, United Kingdom
- 2The University of Sheffield, Sheffield, United Kingdom
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Objectives: Research indicates that ADHD and ASD are associated with sensory processing difficulties. However, psychophysical testing of this has primarily focused on ASD with no equivalent research on ADHD. The relationship between ADHD, ASD and sensory processing may also be influenced by anxiety. This study investigates whether orientation discrimination performance is differentially related to ADHD and ASD traits in a non-clinical adult sample, and whether anxiety statistically explains these associations. Methods: We measure visual orientation discrimination thresholds using a method of constant stimuli in a two-alternative forced choice paradigm with an adaptive, randomly interleaved procedure and a one up three down design. The task results are compared to reported trait expressions of ADHD, ASD and anxiety via correlational analysis. Following on this we conduct a mediation analysis to assess the possible mediating role of anxiety. Results: The ADHD and ASD trait expressions were associated with similar sensory processing abnormalities. The panic and generalised anxiety traits were only specifically associated with the ADHD-Hyperactive type and respective sensory thresholds. Such effects were not observed for any ASD traits. Conclusions: These findings suggest that while both ADHD and ASD traits are linked to reduced orientation sensitivity, only ADHD traits—particularly hyperactivity—show specific associations mediated by anxiety. This points to distinct underlying mechanisms in the sensory processing profiles of ADHD and ASD, with anxiety playing a more prominent role in ADHD-related impairments.
Keywords: ADHD, autism, sensory processing, Anxiety, neurodevelopemental disorders
Received: 21 May 2025; Accepted: 26 Aug 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 VARBANOV, Overton and Stafford. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: VESKO VARBANOV, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, United Kingdom
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