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The relationship between sensory profile and repetitive behaviours in autism spectrum disorder (ASD) has long been known. However, there is no consensus on the type of relationship that exists between them. This monocentric retrospective–prospective observational study aimed (a) to detect a clinical correlation between the severity of repetitive behaviours and the alterations of sensory profile in a sample of 50 children diagnosed with ASD; (b) to evaluate how different patterns of stereotypies and sensory alterations correlate with each other and with the main clinical–instrumental variables in the same sample. We enrolled 29 children in the retrospective phase of the study and 21 in the prospective phase. The Repetitive Behaviour Scale-Revised (RBS-R) and the Short Sensory Profile (SSP) were administered to the caregivers, and clinical–instrumental data were collected. SSP and RBS-R total scores directly correlated with a high significance rate. Among the subscales, the strongest correlations involved “Visual/Auditory Sensitivity”, related to “Stereotyped Behaviour” and “Sameness Behaviour”. “Under-Responsive/Seeks Sensation” related to “Stereotyped Behaviour”. Sex and intellectual disability significantly influenced both the stereotypies and the sensory alterations of the examined population. In conclusion, this study provides new insights into the relationship between sensory alterations and repetitive behaviours in ASD children by using direct medical observation and parent observation.

Stereotypies are among the core symptoms of Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and can cause significant clinical impairment. At present, phonic stereotypies in ASD have been scarcely explored. This study investigates the frequency, variability, and typologies of phonic and motor stereotypies in children with ASD and their association with clinical neurological variables. We examined 35 patients by recording standardized video sessions and administering the Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule-Second Edition (ADOS-2). Phonic stereotypies were present in 83.0% of the patients. The most prevalent subtypes were noncommunicative vocalizations (60.0%), single syllables (37.1%), and echolalic stereotypies (22.9%). Noncommunicative vocalizations were more frequent in nonverbal patients (OR = 4.629, p = 0.008), while echolalic stereotypies were more represented in verbal patients (OR = 0.279, p = 0.028). Patients with intellectual disability (ID) showed a higher number (F(1,26) = 9.406, p = 0.005) and variability (F(1,25) = 7.174, p = 0.013) of motor stereotypies, with a higher number (F(1,26) = 13.268, p = 0.005) and variability (F(1,26) = 9.490, p = 0.005) of stereotypies involving the head/trunk/shoulders category. Patients with guttural stereotypies showed a higher variability of total motor stereotypies (OR = 1.487, p = 0.032) and self-directed motor stereotypies (OR = 4.389, p = 0.042). These results, combined with a standardized video-analysis, document the frequency and variability of phonic stereotypies among children with ASD. Correlations between specific phonic stereotypies and verbal abilities should be investigated further.