Misophonia symptoms in autistic adults

Abstract Misophonia is the adverse emotional reaction to everyday sounds (e.g., chewing or pen clicking). Since atypical sensory experiences are a key feature of autism, we investigated whether autistic individuals are more liable for experiencing misophonia symptoms. In addition, we explore the contribution of sensory sensitivity to misophonia symptoms in autism. Autistic adults (N=1050) filled out the Amsterdam Misophonia Scale-Revised (AMISOS-R), the Autism Spectrum Quotient (AQ-28), and the Sensory Processing Questionnaire (SPQ). Autistic people reported higher scores on the AMISOS-R compared to population levels, reflecting more misophonia symptoms. In particular autistic females and those with co-occurring disorders scored higher. In addition, we found that autistic traits strongly predicted misophonia symptoms. Hearing or vision sensitivity subscales of the SPQ significantly mediated the effect of autism on misophonia symptoms. The increased level of misophonia symptoms in autism and the mediation analyses suggest that autistic traits and sensory sensitivity are factors to consider for a subset of misophonia sufferers, with possible consequences for their clinical interventions.