Musical abilities in children with an auditory processing disorder

Abstract

Objective Difficulties in solving musical tasks are observed in clinical practice in children with an auditory processing disorder (APD). There is a paucity of research on musical ability in children with an APD. Material and Methods To assess musical skills we had 15 children aged 6-11 years with the diagnosis of APD perform a test, and compared them to a control group of 15 children. Results APD children did significantly worse in pitch discrimination, reproduction of rhythm and singing. Correlations between language-based and musical skills in the APD-group were observed. Conclusions Greater attention should be paid to musical skills in APD diagnostics. The positive impact of musical training on language development and cognitive abilities in general has been demonstrated in numerous studies. Musical training should be the focus of further discussion for therapeutic methods of APD in the presence of musical deficits.