The Effects of Menarche upon the Sensory Features of Girls with Autism Spectrum Disorder

Abstract

The effects of menarche on Sensory Features (SF) profiles were investigated in a sample of 53 high-functioning girls aged 6 yr. to 17 yr. (M age = 10.0 yr., SD = 2.7 yr) who had received a diagnosis of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). Results indicated that girls who had reached menarche were reported by their mothers as exhibiting significantly lower Sensation Seeking and Multisensory Processing scores than girls who had yet to reach menarche. When examined at the individual item level, no-menarche girls showed significantly higher scores on six of the Sensation Seeking, and these were characterised by physical activity, particularly being “On the go”.