The use of the dichotic digit test as a screening method

To analyze the use of the Dichotic Digit Test (DDT) as a screening method and to compare its performance with a self-perception questionnaire and other Central Auditory Processing (CAP)behavioral tests.

Cross-sectional, retrospective study with analysis of medical records. The study analyzed 66 medical records of children aged 8 to 11 years, and divided them into control group (G1), consisting of 34 children who did not show changes in the DDT, and the study group (G2) with 32 children who showed changes in the DDT. The Scale of Auditory Behaviors (SAB) questionnaire was used in addition to behavioral tests that assessed the auditory abilities of localization, closure, figure-ground, temporal ordering and resolution.

Individuals in G2 showed higher percentages of changes in all instruments, except for the speech-in-noise test. There was a statistically significant association between the DDT performance categories with the categories of the SAB questionnaire (p-value 0.022) and the simplified CAP assessment (p-value<0.001). The DDT showed a significant correlation with the SAB questionnaire and with all CAP tests used in at least one of the analyzed ears.

In conclusion, the DDT can be used as a screening method for central auditory processing disorder in basic audiological assessment as there was an association in its performance with the self-perception in the SAB questionnaire, in addition to correlation, especially in the left ear, with behavioral tests applied to diagnose CAPD.