Increased context adjustment is associated with auditory sensitivities but not with autistic traits

Bayesian models of autism suggest that disruptions in context-sensitive prediction error weighting may underpin sensory perceptual alterations, such as hypersensitivities. We used an auditory oddball paradigm with pure tones arising from high or low uncertainity contexts to determine whether autistic individuals display differences in context adjustment relative to neurotypicals. We did not find group differences in early prediction error responses indexed by mismatch negativity. However, the autism group had larger evoked responses to outliers, at 300ms latency suggesting a greater reorienting of attention to surprising sounds. A dimensional approach revealed a positive correlation between context-dependent prediction errors and auditory sensitivities, but not with autistic traits. These findings suggest that autism studies may benefit from accounting for sensory sensitivities in group comparisons.

The Anxiety Caused by Secondary Schools for Autistic Adolescents: In Their Own Words

Secondary schools are increasingly becoming inclusive of all students whatever their individual needs, but we question whether teachers understand enough about specific needs in order to effectively support all their students. Research indicates that autistic students often struggle with aspects of school (conformity; social communication; sensory challenges; bullying) but very few studies ask autistic adolescents about their experiences. One of the key elements of the school experience for autistic adolescents is the levels of anxiety experienced by many students on a daily basis. This research set out to explore the extent to which autistic students in secondary schools in the UK were able to recognise and reflect on their own anxiety. The eighteen participants in this co-produced qualitative study took part in semi-structured interviews planned by a team of autistic and non-autistic researchers. The themes that emerged from this study, in terms of triggers for anxiety, included other people’s behaviour, fear of the unknown, and sensory sensitivities. A theoretical view of their difficulties concurs with the concept of intolerance of uncertainty. Our data suggest that autistic students continue to experience high levels of anxiety throughout their secondary education, despite supports put in place by some schools. Strategies are highlighted that could be implemented by all schools to promote truly inclusive settings.

P056 Using Polysomnography in Young People with Borderline Personality Disorder: A Pilot and Feasibility Study

Introduction Few studies have assessed sleep in young people (aged 15–25 years) with BPD using polysomnography. The feasibility of using polysomnography in this population might be questioned due to polysomnography’s invasiveness, anxiety and sensory sensitivities in BPD, and misconceptions that individuals with BPD are uncooperative and non-compliant. This study aimed to provide pilot sleep quality and architecture data and assess polysomnography feasibility. Method Participants were 13 females aged 15–25, 7 (Mage = 19.97, SD = 3.15) with BPD and 6 age-matched healthy controls (Mage = 20.13, SD = 3.31). Participants completed two non-consecutive nights of polysomnography monitoring (second night’s data were used in analyses). Participants were given the option of completing polysomnography monitoring at home or in a sleep laboratory. Results Young people with BPD displayed less arousals across the night and specifically during NREM sleep compared with healthy young people. All other sleep parameters were comparable across groups. There was considerable heterogeneity among participant preferences for in-home vs. sleep laboratory-based monitoring, due to comfort, safety, convenience, interest in seeing a sleep laboratory, or their living situation (eg. presence of bed partner at home). Anxiety was identified as a potential barrier to polysomnography research in this population. Discussion There were some indications of more consolidated sleep in BPD, which might reflect a greater sleep need in this population. The feasibility and tolerability of in-home and sleep laboratory-based polysomnography were demonstrated. Future protocols should incorporate ways to minimise anxiety, for example through providing a choice of monitoring location.

Development and Feasibility of the Headache-Related Light and Sound Sensitivity Inventories in Youth

Youth with chronic headache disorders often experience sensitivities to light and sound that trigger or exacerbate their headaches and contribute to functional disability. At present, there are no known validated measures for assessing these sensitivities and their impact on functioning in youth with chronic headaches. This pilot study sought to develop and assess the feasibility of measures of headache-related light and sounds sensitivities in youth with chronic headache disorders. The initial item pools were generated via an intensive literature review, an informal quality improvement project, and a panel of experts in chronic pain. Then, youth (n = 20) presenting for clinical evaluation of headaches completed the revised items as well as assessments of the measures’ feasibility and items’ understandability. A subset (n = 2) completed formal cognitive interviews as well. The resulting 20-item Headache-Related Light Sensitivity Inventory (HALSI) and 18-item Headache-Related Sound Sensitivity Inventory (HASSI) for youth assess headache-related sensory sensitivities, as well as related emotional and behavioral responses. Through the iterative incorporation of feedback, these measures appear to be feasible to administer and understandable tools for assessing light and sound sensitivity in youth with chronic headache disorders. Once they are empirically validated, they have the potential to serve as important tools for understanding the patient experience, developing interventions, and assessing treatment response.

Migraine: beyond pain

Most people who see, treat or experience migraine will be aware that its clinical manifestations exceed the symptom of head pain. However, available acute treatments so far have targeted migraine symptoms only in the context of the pain phase of an attack. The associated disability clearly involves more than just these symptoms, and the phenotype can include additional painless features, including alterations in mood,cognition and homeostasis and sensory sensitivities. Recognising these symptoms, understanding their neurobiological basis and systematically recording them prospectively in clinical therapeutic trials are likely to offer valuable pathophysiological and therapeutic insights into this complex brain disorder, ultimately helping to improve the quality of lives of sufferers. We aim to explore the multifaceted disorder that is migraine, with a particular focus on the non-painful non-aura symptoms.

Children’s Glasgow Sensory Questionnaire (C-GSQ): Validation of a Simplified and Visually Aided Questionnaire

Sensory sensitivities have been linked to autism in a growing body of literature. Despite this, current measures assessing sensory sensitivities do not appear to fully capture this, especially in children. This study aimed to adapt an adult measure of sensory sensitivities – the Glasgow Sensory Questionnaire – for use with children aged between aged between 8 and 11. 234 children filled out this adaption while their caregivers completed the Autism Spectrum Quotient: Children’s Version. The results found that the two questionnaires had a significant but surprisingly small correlation. Future work should look at identifying the extent to which the Children’s Glasgow Sensory Questionnaire is capturing greater sensory difficulties in non-autistic children or increased measurement error.

Neurodiversity Sensory Audit Guidelines: Creating Sensory Accessible Spaces

This free sensory audit resource has been designed to help people and/or organisations assess and create an environment that is friendly to those with sensory sensitivities, such as people with autism.