Sensory Over-Responsivity (SOR) as a Transdiagnostic Marker of Neurodevelopmental Risk

🧠 Sensory Over-Responsivity (SOR) as a Transdiagnostic Marker of Neurodevelopmental Risk

Authors: Katja Jussila, Anna Korkiakoski, Ainuliina Jussila, Sanna Kuusikko-Gauffin, Leena Joskitt, & Mirjami Mäntymaa

Published in: Nordic Journal of Psychiatry (2025)

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/08039488.2025.2572330

🌟 What the Study Wanted to Find Out

Researchers wanted to know if sensory over-responsivity (SOR) — being unusually sensitive to touch, sound, light, or other sensory input — is linked not just to one condition like autism or ADHD, but to many different neurodevelopmental difficulties.

They also explored whether SOR could serve as a “transdiagnostic marker,” meaning a shared feature that shows up across multiple developmental conditions.

👶 Who Took Part

• 4,424 children, all 8 years old, from Finland (Northern Ostrobothnia Hospital District).
• Parents completed questionnaires about their child’s sensory responses and developmental behaviors.

🧩 What They Found

• 6.4% of all children showed signs of sensory over-responsivity (SOR).
• SOR was much more common in children with any developmental difficulty.
• Kids with developmental challenges were 4.7 times more likely to have SOR than typically developing peers.

🔍 Conditions most strongly linked to SOR:

1. Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) — strongest link
2. ADHD-related traits
3. Motor coordination difficulties
4. Intellectual disability
5. Tourette’s/tics
6. Learning difficulties

🧠 How the Researchers Analyzed It

They used factor analysis (a statistical method) to see how different developmental symptoms group together.

They found three main clusters of traits, each of which was strongly connected to SOR:

1. Social Communication & Language

(e.g., difficulties understanding or using social and verbal cues)

2. Learning & Cognitive Processing

(e.g., trouble with thinking, problem-solving, or academic skills)

3. Attention & Motor Regulation

(e.g., distractibility, impulsivity, or coordination issues)

💬 What This Means

• SOR isn’t limited to autism or ADHD. It shows up across a wide range of developmental conditions.
• That makes it a transdiagnostic feature — a shared sign that points to underlying neurodevelopmental differences.
• The authors suggest that SOR should be viewed as part of a bigger picture of how the brain processes sensory and emotional information, rather than as a symptom of a single disorder.

🧩 Why It’s Important

• Early detection: Identifying SOR early could help flag children who may be at risk for broader developmental challenges.
• Personalized care: Recognizing SOR as a “neurodevelopmental risk marker” could guide more tailored support — for example, combining sensory-friendly environments with learning or behavioral interventions.
• Theoretical insight: The findings fit into the HiTOP (Hierarchical Taxonomy of Psychopathology) model — a new framework that views mental health and developmental conditions on a spectrum, rather than as separate “boxes.”

🧾 Plain-Language Takeaway

Many children who are highly sensitive to sounds, textures, or lights may not have just one condition like ADHD or autism — instead, sensory over-responsivity is part of a broader pattern of neurodevelopmental differences. Recognizing this early can help parents, teachers, and clinicians support children more effectively, without over-focusing on a single label.