Yorke, I., Murphy, J., Rijsdijk, F., Colvert, E., Lietz, S., Happè, F., & Bird, G. (2025). Alexithymia may explain the genetic relationship between autism and sensory sensitivity. Translational Psychology.
doi.org/10.1038/s41398-025-03254-1
Sensory sensitivities are common in autistic people and part of the diagnostic criteria. But, these symptoms are not exclusive to autism, nor do all autistic people experience them.
Alexithymia is what we call the struggle to identify and describe our emotions. It is not just an autistic experience, but it is often is seen alongside autism and is genetically linked to sensory difference.
This paper suggest that alexithymia – not autism – might explain some of the variability in sensory experiences among autistic people and beyond.
The study used parent-reported data from adolescent twins to explore genetic relationships between autism, alexithymia, and sensory symptoms.
The team found that genetic link between autism and sensory symptoms disappears when alexithymia is accounted for.
In contrast, the genetic link between alexithymia and sensory symptoms remains strong, even when controlling for autism.
This suggests that:
- Alexithymia and sensory symptoms may share a genetic basis independent of autism.
- The observed genetic association between autism and sensory symptoms might actually result from alexithymia.
This challenges the assumption that sensory symptoms in autism are directly tied to autism itself.