The gap
The majority of research on sensory processing in autism has been conducted with children. The sensory experiences, trajectories, and needs of autistic adults remain substantially understudied. This gap is reflected in the assessment tools available: the most widely used instruments (Sensory Profile 2, SPM original, SEQ) were developed primarily for children, and while adult versions exist (Adolescent/Adult Sensory Profile; SPM-2 Adult forms), they have a much thinner evidence base, particularly in autism.
Why it matters
Sensory processing differences do not end at age 18. Autistic adults continue to navigate sensorily hostile environments — workplaces, public transport, shops, hospitals — often with less institutional support than children receive through schools and early intervention services. Adult autistic sensory experiences are shaped by decades of cumulative exposure, compensatory strategy development, and in many cases, the long-term toll of masking sensory distress.
The gap matters for several practical reasons. Late-diagnosed autistic adults (a growing population) may be encountering the language of sensory processing for the first time and need assessment and support frameworks developed for their age group. Autistic adults in the workplace need evidence-based environmental accommodations, not extrapolations from childhood classroom research. And autistic adults ageing into later life may face new sensory challenges — hearing loss, vision changes, altered proprioception — that interact with pre-existing sensory processing differences in ways that have not been studied at all.
What exists so far
The Adolescent/Adult Sensory Profile (Brown & Dunn, 2002) is the most established adult tool but has modest psychometric properties in autistic populations and was not designed specifically for them. DuBois et al. (2017) conducted a scoping review of sensory assessment tools for autistic adults and adolescents, finding a significant lack of validated instruments. Some interoception research (e.g., Garfinkel et al., 2016; Mul et al., 2018) has been conducted with autistic adults, but this addresses only one sensory domain. Qualitative studies of autistic adult experience (e.g., Robertson & Simmons, 2015) provide rich descriptions of sensory life but are not a substitute for quantitative measurement.
What would fill it
Longitudinal studies tracking sensory processing from childhood through adulthood in autistic people. Validation of adult sensory processing instruments specifically in autistic populations. Research on sensory processing in the workplace, including the effectiveness of environmental accommodations. Studies of sensory processing in older autistic adults (50+), a population that is almost entirely absent from the literature. Development of self-report tools that account for the masking of sensory distress — current instruments may underestimate difficulties in adults who have learned to suppress their responses.