Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 18, 2026
Testing Sensory and Multisensory Function in Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder
Published on: April 22, 2015
Recognition of randomly presented one-, two-, and three-pair dichotic digits by children and young adults
Deborah W Moncrieff1, Richard H Wilson
1Department of Communication Science and Disorders, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA 15260, USA. dmoncrie@pitt.edu
Purpose:
To establish normative data for children and to characterize developmental differences in performance with the free recall version of the Randomized Dichotic Digits Test.
Research Design:
Group comparison of behavioral data derived from administration of the Randomized Dichotic Digits Test.
Study Sample:
Children from 10 to 18 years of age (167) and young adults from 19 to 28 years of age (50).
Results:
Performance improved with age across all types of digit pairs, especially in the left ear, leading to smaller interaural asymmetries among older participants. A left-ear advantage was produced by 39 subjects (18%), only two of whom were left-handed. Normative data are reported for right and left ear scores and for interaural asymmetry (percent correct difference between the two ears) under one-, two-, and three-pair conditions of the test and for interaural asymmetry across the entire test. A unilateral deficit was identified in children (15.5%) and young adults (12%) for the left ear and in children (11.3%) and young adults (6%) for the right ear. A bilateral deficit was also identified in children (6.5%) and young adults (6%).
Conclusions:
This test may be useful as part of the clinical battery for identifying binaural integration weaknesses and referring individuals for auditory rehabilitation for interaural asymmetry (ARIA).
