Startle and blink reflex in high functioning autism

Abstract

An important clinical feature of autism is the presence of atypical responses to sensory stimuli. In this study, we investigated if high functioning autistic patients had abnormalities in the blink reflex and the startle reaction to auditory or somatosensory stimuli. Fourteen patients aged between 7 and 16 years were included in the study. We found a longer latency of the blink reflex, an increased duration and amplitude of the auditory startle reaction and a lower presence rate of the somatosensorial startle reaction in autistic patients. To better define the sensorial characteristics of the disease could improve the therapeutic management of children with autism spectrum disorder