S1E6 The Great Research Detective Story: Autistic Adults and Technology

This episode describes a large-scale online questionnaire study involving 315 participants, both autistic and non-autistic, designed to validate the Sensory Sensitivity Mental Health Distractibility (S2MHD) model.

The research aimed to demonstrate how sensory sensitivity contributes to anxiety and fatigue, which in turn leads to distractibility in autistic individuals.

Key findings included significant differences in visual and physiological sensitivity, anxiety, and fatigue among autistic participants, and surprisingly, no major difference in auditory sensitivity. The study also revealed increasing challenges with age for autistic adults and a strong desire for technology-based solutions to help manage sensory and attention issues, ultimately advocating for personalized, environment-adaptive accommodations over individual-focused "coping" strategies.