Auditory Processing Performance Research Articles

Auditory Temporal Processing Performance of Young Adults With Reading Disorders

The present study investigated the temporal processing abilities of college students with diagnosed reading disorders. A behavioral test battery was used that involved discrimination of the pattern of presentation of tone triads in which individual components differed in either frequency or duration. An additional test involving measurement of frequency difference limens for long- and short-duration tones was also administered. The college students with reading disorders exhibited significantly higher error rates in discriminating duration patterns than the normal reading group. No group differences were found for the frequency pattern discrimination task. Both groups exhibited larger frequency difference limens with the shorter 20- and 50-ms tones than with the 200-ms tones. Significant correlations were found between reading ability measures and temporal processing abilities, specifically in word recognition and duration pattern processing, suggesting a relationship between lower level auditory temporal processing skills and decoding efficiency.

Otitis Media and Fluctuating Conductive Hearing Loss: Effects upon Aspects of Auditory Processing and Reading in Young School Age Children

This investigation supports the evidence for a link between otitis media with associated fluctuating conductive hearing loss and auditory processing and reading performance in young school age children. Twenty-five normal hearing grade two children (mean age 90.20 months), seven of whom had documented histories of otitis media with fluctuating conductive hearing loss, were assessed on a battery of reading, language and auditory processing tests. Within the limits of the study, data indicated that the children with a history of regularly occurring otitis media exhibited consistently lower scores on all variables measured when compared with the rest of the children with no history of otitis media. The implications for early identification and intervention are outlined.

Listening Characteristics of Children With Central Auditory Processing Disorders

The observed listening performances of 64 children with central auditory processing (CAP) disorders were obtained from teachers using the Children’s Auditory Processing Performance Scale. The data obtained indicated that the listening performances of these children vary greatly, depending upon the listening conditions and the listening functions being rated. The results also provide evidence that children with CAP disorders have difficulties not only in stressful or competing listening conditions, but also in quiet or ideal listening conditions.