The effects of time compression on the auditory processing abilities of learning disabled children

This study measured the ability of ten 8- and ten 12-yr-old learning disabled (LD) children of normal intelligence (WISC-R) to discriminate phonemic contrasts in sentential stimuli (Subtest 13 of the Carrow Auditory Visual Abilities Test) presented at a 50% time-compression rate. Their group responses were compared statistically to similar data gathered earlier (May et al, J. Aud. Res., 1984, 24, 205-211) from 6-, 8-, and 10-yr-old normal children and young adults. LD Ss exhibited auditory processing capacities reminiscent of an earlier level of operation (e.g., the group of LD Ss with mn age of 12.8 yrs yielded group performance equivalent to that of normal 6- and 8-yr-olds), and also manifested marked differences in their feature- and frequency-processing abilities. These data indicate that contributing to the learning difficulties of LD children may very well be delays in auditory development and anomalies in auditory-feature processing.