Deficits in Auditory Rhythm Perception in Children With Auditory Processing Disorder Are Unrelated to Attention

Abstract

Auditory processing disorder (APD) is defined as a specific deficit in the processing of auditory information along the central auditory nervous system, including bottom-up and top-down neural connectivity. Even though music comprises a big part of audition, testing music perception in APD population has not yet gained wide attention in research. This work tests the hypothesis that deficits in rhythm perception occur in a group of subjects with APD. The primary focus of this study is to measure perception of a simple auditory rhythm, i.e., short isochronous sequences of beats, in APD children and to compare their performance to age-matched normal controls. The secondary question is to study the relationship between cognition and auditory processing of rhythm perception. We tested 39 APD children and 25 control children aged between 6 and 12 years via (a) clinical APD tests, including a monaural speech in noise test, (b) isochrony task, a test measuring the detection of small deviations from perfect isochrony in a isochronous beats sequence, and (c) two cognitive tests (auditory memory and auditory attention). APD children scored worse in isochrony task compared to the age-matched control group. In the APD group, neither measure of cognition (attention nor memory) correlated with performance in isochrony task. Left (but not right) speech in noise performance correlated with performance in isochrony task. In the control group a large correlation (r = −0.701, p = 0.001) was observed between isochrony task and attention, but not with memory. The results demonstrate a deficit in the perception of regularly timed sequences in APD that is relevant to the perception of speech in noise, a ubiquitous complaint in this condition. Our results suggest (a) the existence of a non-attention related rhythm perception deficit in APD children and (b) differential effects of attention on task performance in normal vs. APD children. The potential beneficial use of music/rhythm training for rehabilitation purposes in APD children would need to be explored.

Absence of Rhythm Benefit on Speech in Noise Recognition in Children Diagnosed With Auditory Processing Disorder

“…APD assessment typically includes speech in noise recognition, temporal sequencing, temporal resolution and dichotic listening tests, which arguably do not capture all manifestations of APD. Further, the present study confirms and furtherly expands on previous research on rhythm perception of this population (Olakunbi et al, 2010;Scheffner et al, 2017;Sidiras et al, 2019). The WRRC wordlists consist of 70% of words that are stressed in the first syllable (trochees) versus 30% in the second (iambs) thus the present study findings would be applicable to everyday use of Modern Greek (Iliadou et al, 2006).…”

“…In both PPS and DPS, working memory is loaded with sensory information, i.e., pitch and duration respectively, rather than verbal as in the case of Digit Span, and this kind of information is not processed in the same way in working memory (Wilsch and Obleser, 2016). Furtherly, sensory, rather than verbal processing correlating with impairments in APD children (here deficit in rhythm effects), fits better with the view that APD concerns mainly impairments in lower levels of auditory perception and less with cognition (American Speech-Language-Hearing Association [ASHA], 2005; American Academy of Audiology [AAA], 2010;Stavrinos et al, 2018;Sidiras et al, 2019).…”

“…We also expect that rhythm effects on speech in noise recognition will correlate with processing of other kinds of auditory stimuli as well. Finally, we expect little or no correlation between rhythm effects and cognition for APD children, since there is evidence in this clinical group that rhythm perception and cognition do not correlate (Sidiras et al, 2019).…”

“…Auditory processing disorder children present deficits in rhythm perception (Isochrony Task;Sidiras et al, 2019). Thus, given the rhythm component in WRRC, we expect synchronized and unsynchronized rhythm effects to be less prominent or even absent in APD children.…”

Evaluating auditory function in primary school children with learning difficulties in Australia

“…Other authors such asRiccio et al (2005) andTomlin et al (2015) have also found only weak relationships between AP test results and listening behaviour in school-aged children. In contrast, authors such asGyldenkaerne, Dillon, Sharma, and Purdy (2014) andSidiras et al (2019) did not find any relationships with attention. Rather, these authors proposed that while attention and APD may exhibit similar symptoms, they are separate, largely independent conditions.…”