Structured Review of Dichotic Tests of Binaural Integration: Clinical Performance in Children

The aim of the study was to evaluate the evidence of clinical utility for dichotic speech tests of binaural integration used to assess auditory processing in English-speaking children 6-14 years old.

Dichotic speech test recordings and pertinent research studies were identified from iterative searches of the Internet and bibliographic databases, as well as communication with colleagues and test publishers. Test documentation and peer-reviewed literature were evaluated for evidence of reliability, accuracy, usefulness, and value.

Eleven dichotic tests of binaural integration were identified for children. Evidence of test-retest reliability was found for 5 tests and demonstrated moderate to good correlation between results on repeated administration (r = .59-.92). Evidence of accuracy was identified for 5 tests but was either inconsistent with accurate performance or was not generalizable due to significant limitations in study design. No evidence was found to either support or dispute claims of usefulness or value.

A medical diagnostic framework is useful for evaluating dichotic tests. Although dichotic procedures show moderate reliability, the absence of a widely accepted gold standard reference test limits our ability to assess their value. Overall, the data available at the time of this review do not support the routine use of dichotic tests of binaural integration for clinical evaluation of children.