Distribution of auditory response behaviors in normal infants and profoundly multihandicapped children

Responsiveness (yes/no decisions) to sound has been found to be similar for normal infants and profoundly multihandicapped children of comparable developmental ages (Flexer & Gans, 1985). The purpose of this investigation is to extend the comparison of these two groups by examining the distribution of their response behaviors to sound. Ten normal and 10 multihandicapped children were videotaped while various auditory signals were presented. Without knowledge of stimulus type, five judges listed the behaviors that occurred during 24 sound and 24 catch trials for each child. The behaviors were then evaluated as a function of the stimulus parameters of meaningfulness, bandwidth, and intensity. Results revealed that the profoundly multihandicapped children displayed relatively more reflexive than attentive type behaviors and exhibited fewer behaviors per response. The effects of stimulus-type on the numbers and distribution of responses are discussed.