A Working Taxonomy for Describing the Sensory Differences of Autism

Background. Individuals on the autism spectrum have been longed described to process sensory information differently than neurotypical individuals. While much effort has been leveraged towards characterising and investigating the neurobiology underlying the sensory differences of autism, there has been a notable lack of consistency in the terms being used to describe the nature of those differences. Main body. We argue that inconsistent and interchangeable terminology-use when describing the sensory differences of autism has become problematic beyond mere pedantry and inconvenience. We begin by highlighting current popular terms used to describe sensory differences (e.g., “sensitivity”, “reactivity” and “responsivity”) that are often observed in autism and discuss why poor nomenclature may hamper efforts towards understanding the aetiology of sensory differences in autism. We then provide a solution to interchangeable terminology-use by proposing a hierarchical taxonomy for describing and referring to various sensory domains, with specific attention to those that are different of autism. Conclusion. Inconsistency in terminology-use when describing the sensory features of autism has stifled discussion and scientific understanding of the sensory differences of autism. An agreed-upon hierarchical taxonomy will help resolve lack of clarity when discussing the sensory differences of autism and place future research targets at appropriate levels of analysis.