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Updated: Sep 11, 2025
Quantitative Assessment of Cortical Auditory-tactile Processing in Children with Disabilities
Published on: January 29, 2014
Assessing the agreement between auditory processing test results of children with listening difficulties obtained in
Grace Nixon1, Lucy Shiels1, Cameron James Patrick2
1Department of Audiology and Speech Pathology, University of Melbourne, Parkville, Australia.
Insights
Remote auditory processing (AP) tests show good agreement for simple tasks but struggle with complex binaural integration due to video conferencing (VC) limitations. Further research into alternative remote assessment methods is recommended.
Area of Science:
- Audiology
- Neuroscience
- Speech and Hearing Sciences
Background:
- Auditory processing (AP) disorders affect children's ability to interpret sounds.
- Telehealth offers potential for remote audiological assessments, but its efficacy needs validation.
- Video conferencing (VC) software is a common tool for remote consultations.
Purpose of the Study:
- To compare the results of auditory processing (AP) tests administered in a clinical setting versus remotely using video conferencing (VC) software.
- To evaluate the reliability of remote AP testing in children with reported listening difficulties.
Main Methods:
- A cross-sectional study involving 39 children (aged 6.8-13.1 years) with normal cognition, hearing, and middle ear function.
- Auditory processing tests were conducted both in-clinic and remotely via Zoom.
- Intraclass correlation coefficients (ICCs) were used to assess agreement between the two testing methods.
Main Results:
- Good agreement (ICC=0.81 and 0.77) was observed for single-channel AP tests (temporal patterning, diotic listening).
- Poor to fair agreement (ICC=0.32-0.51) was found for two-channel tests requiring binaural integration (spatialized noise, dichotic digits).
- Remote testing via VC showed greater score variability compared to in-clinic assessments, likely due to technical limitations.
Conclusions:
- While some AP skills can be reliably assessed remotely using VC software, tests involving complex binaural processing are limited by current technology.
- Technical limitations of VC software hinder the accuracy of remote binaural auditory assessments.
- Alternative remote assessment strategies, such as tablet-based tests or remote control of clinical software, may be more suitable for comprehensive tele-audiology.
Objective:
To compare results of auditory processing (AP) tests delivered in clinic versus remotely via shared video conferencing (VC) software (Zoom) in children with listening difficulties.
Design:
Cross-sectional study.
Study Sample:
39 children aged 6.8-13.1 years with parent/teacher-reported listening difficulties and with normal cognition, hearing, and middle ear function.
Results:
Good agreement was found between in-clinic and remote test results for single-channel AP tests assessing temporal patterning (intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC)=0.81) and diotic listening (ICC = 0.77). However, poor to fair agreement occurred for tests requiring two-channel audio delivery, including the Listening in Spatialised Noise-Sentences test of binaural interaction (ICC = 0.43) and the Dichotic Digits difference Test of binaural integration (ICC = 0.32-0.51), likely due to the technical limitations of current VC software. Overall, remote testing showed greater variability in scores compared to in-clinic.
Conclusions:
While some AP skills could be reliably assessed remotely via VC software, tests requiring complex binaural audio integration were limited by technical factors. Tablet-based assessments or remote operation of clinical software may be more viable alternatives for comprehensive tele-audiology assessment of auditory processing disorder.
