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Auditory Brainstem Response Testing in Children with Speech and Language Pathology: A Non-Randomized Observational
Ivana Aras1, Sanja Vlahović1, Siniša Stevanović2
1SUVAG Polyclinic for Rehabilitation of Listening and Speech, Zagreb, Croatia.
Insights
Auditory Brainstem Response (ABR) latencies were prolonged in preschool children with autism spectrum disorder and developmental language disorder, indicating potential comprehension issues. Shorter latencies were observed in children with articulation pathology or cognitive delay.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Audiology
- Speech-Language Pathology
- Neurodevelopmental Disorders
Background:
- Normal-hearing preschool children with various speech and language pathologies were assessed.
- Auditory Brainstem Response (ABR) is a key diagnostic tool for auditory pathway function.
Purpose of the Study:
- To compare Auditory Brainstem Response (ABR) findings in normal-hearing preschool children with different speech and language disorders.
- To investigate the relationship between specific language pathologies and ABR latency patterns.
Main Methods:
- A retrospective, non-randomized cohort study of 123 preschool children with normal hearing and diagnosed speech-language pathology.
- Participants included children with developmental language disorder, autism spectrum disorder, articulation pathology, organic brain lesions, cognitive delay, and speech development delay.
- Standard Auditory Brainstem Response (ABR) procedures were performed on all participants.
Main Results:
- Children with organic brain lesions exhibited the longest ABR latencies, followed by those with autism spectrum disorder and developmental language disorder.
- Young children with speech development delay also showed prolonged latencies.
- Children with isolated articulation pathology and cognitive delay demonstrated the shortest ABR latencies.
Conclusions:
- A correlation exists between specific language pathologies, particularly those involving comprehension deficits, and prolonged Auditory Brainstem Response (ABR) latencies.
- ABR latency patterns may help differentiate between various speech and language disorders in preschool children.
- These findings highlight the utility of ABR in understanding the auditory processing aspects of neurodevelopmental conditions.
Introduction:
The aim of this study was to compare auditory brainstem response (ABR) findings of normal-hearing preschool children with different types of speech and language pathology.
Methods:
This retrospective, non-randomized, cohort study was conducted at a tertiary speech and hearing rehabilitation institution according to STROBE guidelines. The study enrolled 123 preschool children diagnosed with speech language pathology and normal hearing. The participants included children with developmental language disorder, autism spectrum disorder, isolated articulation pathology, organic brain lesions, cognitive delay, and a group of very young children with clinically significant speech development delay. All patients underwent standard ABR procedures.
Results:
The latencies were the longest in the group of children with organic lesion, followed by the group of children with autism spectrum disorder, then the group with developmental language disorder, and the young children group. In the group of children with articulation pathology and the cognitive delay group, the latencies were the shortest.
Conclusion:
This study showed a connection between several groups of children with language pathology that includes comprehension problems and prolongation of ABR latencies.
