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.
Highlights
Autism is a pervasive developmental disorder characterized by symptoms in three core domains: qualitative impairments in social interaction, verbal and nonverbal communication, and stereotyped patterns of activities and interests [1,2]
The purpose of this study was to investigate the features of auditory abnormalities in autism and to compare differences in the auditory profiles of children with autism, matched to a control group of children with developmental language delay to determine whether children with autism exhibit a unique profile of auditory response
No group difference was found between mild to moderate autism and severe autism in the auditory abnormalities except for the item relating to phonophobia
Summary
Autism is a pervasive developmental disorder characterized by symptoms in three core domains: qualitative impairments in social interaction, verbal and nonverbal communication, and stereotyped patterns of activities and interests [1,2]. Rogers et al using parent questionnaires found that toddlers with autism had more deficits in tactile sensitivity, auditory filtering, and taste/smell sensitivity as measured by the Short Sensory Profile [9] than those with other developmental delays [5]. It was described that children with autism showed a preference for proximal stimuli including touch, smell and taste as opposed to the distal aspects such as auditory and vision [10,11]. Data derived from children with autism spectrum disorder showed that these children had more problems in responding to voice or their names being called than the developmental delay group [6]. The authors suggested that such abnormalities might be distinguishing symptoms of autism (spectrum disorders) that should be considered for inclusion in diag- nostic algorithms for young children
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