Précis of “Sensory–movement underpinnings of lifelong neurodivergence: getting a grip on autism” by Steven K. Kapp
Summary:
Kapp (2025) proposes that sensory and movement differences underpin autism from birth and persist throughout life, shaping communication, learning, behavior, and everyday experience. This theoretical article synthesizes developmental, neurological, and experiential literature rather than reporting a new participant study. Drawing on the sensory–movement account developed by Donnellan and colleagues, Kapp argues that differences in sensory processing and movement can precede recognizable social communication differences and help explain their development. The proposed framework connects difficulties integrating sensory information and coordinating action with a processing style grounded more strongly in immediate sensory input than in prior expectations. It also challenges interpretations of developmental regression as the sudden acquisition of autism and of no longer meeting diagnostic criteria as the disappearance of underlying differences. Throughout, Kapp emphasizes that observable behavior may misrepresent autistic people’s understanding, intentions, pain, and desire for connection.
Key Findings and Theoretical Proposals:
1. Early Sensory and Movement Differences:
The reviewed research identifies differences in movement, posture, visual tracking, and sensory responses before the social communication features typically used to recognize autism.
Kapp proposes that these early differences have cascading effects on exploration, learning, gestures, speech, and interaction.
2. Social Behavior May Reflect Sensory and Motor Demands:
Reduced eye contact, delayed responses, and differences in imitation may reflect sensory overload or difficulties coordinating perception and action.
Speech production and other motor demands can limit how people demonstrate their understanding. Observable performance should therefore be interpreted cautiously.
Misunderstandings between autistic and non-autistic people also shape communication outcomes.
3. Bottom-Up Processing and Reduced Perceptual Narrowing:
Kapp proposes that autistic people retain greater responsiveness to sensory distinctions that others increasingly filter through experience.
Familiar stimuli may remain intense or feel relatively new, contributing both to perceptual strengths and to overwhelm.
Differences in sensory integration and feedback loops, potentially involving the cerebellum, are proposed as mechanisms requiring further investigation.
4. Lifelong Differences Despite Changing Presentation:
Kapp acknowledges real developmental declines while questioning whether they indicate that a previously non-autistic child has become autistic.
Similarly, reduced outward signs or the removal of a diagnosis may reflect compensation or camouflaging while sensory and movement differences persist.
Less visibly autistic behavior does not necessarily indicate improved well-being or reduced support needs.
5. Underrecognized Experiences and Support Needs:
The reviewed literature describes discrepancies between autistic people’s accounts and observers’ assessments of sensory difficulties, physical well-being, empathy, and pain.
Kapp argues for greater attention to first-person accounts and to people whose communication or movement differences make their experiences harder for others to recognize.
Implications:
Kapp advocates sensory-sensitive environments, recognition and support for motor difficulties, access to augmentative and alternative communication, and responsive interactions that respect autistic people’s pace and preferences. Support should prioritize communication, comfort, autonomy, and participation, with care around demands for eye contact or speech. The framework also raises questions about whether diagnostic criteria adequately represent sensory and movement experiences. Its central explanatory claims remain theoretical and require prospective longitudinal testing. Kapp acknowledges limited research representing autistic people with intellectual disabilities and the predominantly Western evidence base, and calls for participatory research involving diverse autistic people.
Citation (APA):
Kapp, S.K. (2025). Sensory–movement underpinnings of lifelong neurodivergence: Getting a grip on autism. Frontiers in Integrative Neuroscience, 19, Article 1489322. https://doi.org/10.3389/fnint.2025.1489322
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