In Our Own Words: The Complex Sensory Experiences of Autistic Adults

This publication is included in the Autistic Autism Scholarship Project. one author of this publication is identified as autistic in the project.

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MacLennan, K., O’Brien, S., & Tavassoli, T. (2021). In Our Own Words: The Complex Sensory Experiences of Autistic Adults. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 52(7), 3061-3075. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10803-021-05186-3

Publication date: 13 Jul 2021 Added to AutiHub: 12 Sep 2026 Type: Article Article language: English
Publisher source (DOI) Full text OpenAlex source

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Authors

Publication authors
3
Publication authors identified as autistic
1 / 3 (33.3%)
  1. K. MacLennan
  2. Sarah O’Brien *
  3. T. Tavassoli

Abstract

Abstract Autistic adults commonly experience sensory reactivity differences. Sensory hyperreactivity is frequently researched, whilst hyporeactivity and seeking, and experiences across domains, e.g., vision, are often neglected. Therefore, we aimed to understand more about the sensory experiences of autistic adults. We conducted a mixed-methods study, co-produced with stakeholders; recruiting 49 autistic adults who completed an online survey. Firstly, quantitative results and content analysis enhanced our understanding of sensory input/contexts associated with sensory hyperreactivity, hyporeactivity, and seeking across modalities. Secondly, thematic analysis developed themes relating to ‘Outcomes’, ‘Control’, ‘Tolerance and management’, and ‘The role of other people’, informing a theoretical model of sensory reactivity differences in autistic adults. These findings have implications for support services and improving quality of life for autistic adults.

Bibliography cited by this reference

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Cited bibliography overview

These indicators describe the bibliography cited by this publication. An author name is counted each time it appears in one cited reference, so the same person can be counted more than once. Names not yet linked to an author already present in AutiHub are treated as unknown, not as non-autistic. Last computed: 12 Sep 2026 18:20.

Cited references
50
With a DOI
46
Without a DOI, from raw bibliography text
4
1 / 50 (2.0%) cited references include at least one author identified as autistic.
References with data to complete
2 / 50 (4.0%)
References with detected author names
49 / 50 (98.0%)
Without detected author names
1
Without a structured title
2
Without a stable identifier
3
References with raw author names still to review
1
References with external metadata lookup issues
0
These indicators apply to cited references displayed on this page, after technical duplicates have been merged. A reference without a DOI can still support author statistics when a title and author names are available.
Author names detected in the cited bibliography
190
From DOI or external metadata
190
From validated raw bibliography text
0
Raw names already validated
0
Raw names still to review
1
68 / 190 (35.8%) names are linked to an author already present in AutiHub. 122 / 190 (64.2%) names are not yet linked.
Names linked to a person identified as autistic
4 / 190 (2.1%)
Calculated across all author names detected in the cited bibliography. Among names linked to an author already present in AutiHub: 4 / 68 (5.9%). Distinct people identified as autistic: 4 / 174 (2.3%).
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