Auditory abnormalities in children with autism

Abstract

The present study aimed to describe the characteristics of auditory abnormalities present in cases of autism. One hundred and fifty six children with autism and 141 matched controls with language delay were investigated via direct observations combined with parent/caregiver reports. All of the autistic individuals demonstrated auditory abnormalities especially in the domain of hyposensitivity, compared with 33.3% of children with language delay. The auditory abnormalities in autism primarily comprised of auditory hyposensitivity, auditory hypersensitivity, phonophobia, and peculiar interests in certain sounds. Participants with autism were rated as having more problems than the language-delayed children in all the items of each domain. No significant differences in the range of auditory abnormalities were observed between mild and severe autistic children except for the presence of phonophobia. Children with autism presented with diverse auditory abnormalities which may be specific features in autism and may play an important role in the early identification of autism.

Appropriateness of Using Autism Spectrum Disorders Screening Tools in a Hearing Evaluation Service

“…Surprisingly, there is no data in the literature regarding the investigation of suspected ASD among subjects undergoing hearing evaluation, although this type of evaluation is cited in studies conducted with ASD subjects [22,24,25,26,37,38,39]. …”

“…Because suspected hearing loss is frequent in the ASD population, audiological diagnostic services have great potential use in promoting the early detection of possible ASD cases [24,25,32,33]. Similarly, Kancherla et al [40] state that the early detection of hearing loss provide a significant opportunity for the early detection of ASD, although they emphasize the need for improved diagnostic tools and increased information to facilitate appropriate referrals.…”

“…Concerns expressed by parents of young children with ASDs relate to complaints about delays in language development [2,17,18,19,20], the use of a louder tone of voice, the lack of orientation/response to the speech of others and the lack of the child's response when called by his/her own name; when these characteristics are found in conjunction with changes in perception, attention and memory, they can often be misinterpreted as hearing problems [20,21,22,23,24]. Both the literature and clinical experience indicate that it is common (and even necessary) that children with ASD signs undergo an audiological evaluation to obtain a diagnosis [20,21,22,23,25].…”

Facial expression recognition teaching to preschoolers with autism

“…A voice telling "Bravo" rewards player for the correct answer and a voice telling "Try again" encourages the player to try again when the user provides an incorrect answer. There are no other sound effects because individuals with ASD may suffer from auditory sensitivity [75], may demonstrate oversensitivity to certain sounds, even at low volume and may feel discomfort when exposed to certain sounds [76]. Visual feedback is also provided by changing the image's color into light green for the correct answer and into light red for incorrect answer.…”

Utilizing PEAK Relational Training System to Teach Visual, Gustatory, and Auditory Relations to Adults with Developmental Disabilities

“…In addition to the need for more research using complex learning theories to acquire quicker learning, it has been recognized that individuals with autism and disabilities display sensory-perceptual abnormalities, meaning their senses may be hypersensitive compared to typically developing individuals (O'Neill & Jones, 1997). This gives reason to further study interventions that address sensory modalities other than visual-visual and verbal-visual.…”