Psychiatric News (3/10) reports a study found that “alexithymia – a condition associated with difficulty in identifying and describing one’s own emotions – may be a strong influence in how much sensory sensitivity people with autism spectrum disorder experience.” The researchers “conducted a series of modeling analyses to examine the interaction between the severity of alexithymia, sensory issues, and/or autism in” twin pairs in which at least one twin had autism. The analysis “found a strong correlation between autism and sensory symptoms; however, after controlling for alexithymia, the association between autism and sensory symptoms was no longer significant. In contrast, the correlation between alexithymia and sensory symptoms was significant, even after factoring in the influence of autism.” They concluded, “This suggests that alexithymia and sensory processing share genetic factors, independent of those that increase the likelihood of autism.” The study was published in Translational Psychiatry.
Related Links:
— “Sensory Sensitivity in People With Autism May Be Due to Emotional Blindness,” Psychiatric News, March10 , 2025