title: Anxiety disorders and sensory over-responsivity in children with autism spectrum disorders: is there a causal relationship?
abstract: Anxiety disorders and sensory over-responsivity (SOR) are common in children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD), and there is evidence for an association between these two conditions. Currently, it is unclear what causal mechanisms may exist between SOR and anxiety. We propose three possible theories to explain the association between anxiety and SOR: (a) SOR is caused by anxiety; (b) Anxiety is caused by SOR; or (c) SOR and anxiety are causally unrelated but are associated through a common risk factor or diagnostic overlap. In this paper, we examine support for each theory in the existing anxiety, autism, and neuroscience literature, and discuss how each theory informs choice of interventions and implications for future studies.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, University of California, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA. shulamite@ucla.edu
authors.forename: Shulamite A
authors.initials: SA
authors.lastname: Green
authors.forename: Ayelet
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Ben-Sasson
mesh_terms: D001008:Anxiety Disorders / Q000150:complications*; D001143:Arousal; D002648:Child; D002659:Child Development Disorders, Pervasive / Q000150:complications*; D006801:Humans; D012307:Risk Factors; D012678:Sensation Disorders / Q000150:complications*
references.citation: J Abnorm Psychol. 2002 Feb;111(1):107-23
references.pmid: 11866165
references.citation: Behav Res Ther. 1998 Sep;36(9):809-48
references.pmid: 9701859
references.citation: Trends Neurosci. 2008 Mar;31(3):137-45
references.pmid: 18258309
references.citation: Clin Psychol Rev. 2009 Apr;29(3):216-29
references.pmid: 19223098
references.citation: Psychol Rev. 1961 Mar;68:1-147
references.pmid: 13740033
references.citation: J Am Acad Child Adolesc Psychiatry. 2004 Jun;43(6):752-60
references.pmid: 15167092
references.citation: Am J Occup Ther. 2008 Jul-Aug;62(4):393-406
references.pmid: 18712002
references.citation: J Child Psychol Psychiatry. 2005 Nov;46(11):1152-60
references.pmid: 16238662
references.citation: Am J Occup Ther. 2007 Sep-Oct;61(5):584-92
references.pmid: 17944296
references.citation: Am J Occup Ther. 2005 May-Jun;59(3):335-45
references.pmid: 15969281
references.citation: Autism. 2003 Jun;7(2):145-64
references.pmid: 12846384
references.citation: Neuropsychopharmacology. 2008 Mar;33(4):901-12
references.pmid: 17507914
references.citation: Am J Occup Ther. 1999 Sep-Oct;53(5):489-97
references.pmid: 10500857
references.citation: Psychotherapy (Chic). 2007 Dec;44(4):450-62
references.pmid: 22122323
references.citation: Occup Ther Int. 2003;10(3):175-84
references.pmid: 12900790
references.citation: Am J Occup Ther. 2007 Mar-Apr;61(2):135-40
references.pmid: 17436834
references.citation: Am J Occup Ther. 2001 Nov-Dec;55(6):629-40
references.pmid: 12959227
references.citation: J Autism Dev Disord. 2007 Nov;37(10):1842-57
references.pmid: 17171539
references.citation: Am J Occup Ther. 1980 Jun;34(6):375-81
references.pmid: 6971048
references.citation: J Child Psychol Psychiatry. 2006 Jun;47(6):591-601
references.pmid: 16712636
references.citation: Behav Res Ther. 1997 Jan;35(1):49-58
references.pmid: 9009043
references.citation: J Child Psychol Psychiatry. 2008 Aug;49(8):817-25
references.pmid: 18498344
references.citation: Ann N Y Acad Sci. 2003 Apr;985:389-410
references.pmid: 12724173
references.citation: Neuropsychopharmacology. 2004 Apr;29(4):826-32
references.pmid: 14970831
references.citation: J Child Psychol Psychiatry. 2005 Dec;46(12):1255-68
references.pmid: 16313426
references.citation: J Abnorm Child Psychol. 2009 Jul;37(5):705-16
references.pmid: 19153827
references.citation: Am J Occup Ther. 1999 Mar-Apr;53(2):207-13
references.pmid: 10200844
references.citation: J Autism Dev Disord. 2008 Mar;38(3):516-29
references.pmid: 17917804
references.citation: J Atten Disord. 2010 Mar;13(5):468-78
references.pmid: 19372496
references.citation: J Child Psychol Psychiatry. 2009 Mar;50(3):224-34
references.pmid: 19309326
references.citation: J Autism Dev Disord. 1997 Jun;27(3):333-8
references.pmid: 9229263
references.citation: Autism. 2006 Mar;10(2):155-72
references.pmid: 16613865
references.citation: Dev Med Child Neurol. 1999 Sep;41(9):608-15
references.pmid: 10503919
references.citation: Psychiatry Res. 2003 Jun 15;118(3):273-84
references.pmid: 12834821
references.citation: Am J Occup Ther. 2009 Jul-Aug;63(4):423-32
references.pmid: 19708471
references.citation: J Autism Dev Disord. 2002 Oct;32(5):397-422
references.pmid: 12463517
references.citation: J Anxiety Disord. 1998 Jul-Aug;12(4):387-93
references.pmid: 9699121
references.citation: J Child Neurol. 2006 Dec;21(12):1051-8
references.pmid: 17156697
references.citation: J Exp Psychol Anim Behav Process. 1983 Jul;9(3):248-65
references.pmid: 6886630
references.citation: Int J Dev Neurosci. 2005 Apr-May;23(2-3):143-52
references.pmid: 15749241
references.citation: Psychiatr Q. 2008 Sep;79(3):249-63
references.pmid: 18726156
references.citation: Brain Res Brain Res Rev. 2003 Jan;41(1):88-123
references.pmid: 12505650
references.citation: Annu Rev Neurosci. 1992;15:353-75
references.pmid: 1575447
references.citation: J Abnorm Child Psychol. 2008 Jan;36(1):117-28
references.pmid: 17674186
references.citation: J Autism Dev Disord. 2006 Oct;36(7):863-70
references.pmid: 16897401
references.citation: Clin Psychol Rev. 2006 Nov;26(7):817-33
references.pmid: 16517038
references.citation: Infant Ment Health J. 2007 Sep;28(5):536-558
references.pmid: 28640427
references.citation: Genes Brain Behav. 2002 Aug;1(3):178-86
references.pmid: 12884974
references.citation: J Autism Dev Disord. 2004 Aug;34(4):379-93
references.pmid: 15449514
references.citation: Depress Anxiety. 2009;26(12):1066-85
references.pmid: 19957279
references.citation: Psychopharmacology (Berl). 2008 Aug;199(3):421-37
references.pmid: 18058089
references.citation: Neuroimage. 2007 Jul 1;36(3):736-45
references.pmid: 17475514
references.citation: Mt Sinai J Med. 2006 Nov;73(7):941-9
references.pmid: 17195879
references.citation: J Child Adolesc Psychopharmacol. 2005 Jun;15(3):477-96
references.pmid: 16092912
references.citation: Am J Occup Ther. 1999 Mar-Apr;53(2):145-52
references.pmid: 10200837
references.citation: J Child Psychol Psychiatry. 1989 Sep;30(5):725-35
references.pmid: 2793960