Mapping the Auditory Processing Assessment Procedures and Results in Dysphonic Individuals: A Scoping Review

In recent years, evidence has increasingly highlighted the relationship between auditory processing and vocal function, suggesting that impairments in central auditory mechanisms may influence both the perception and regulation of voice production. Considering this relationship, mapping how auditory processing is assessed in individuals with voice disorders is essential to understanding the sensory contributions to vocal control. This scoping review was conducted to identify and describe the procedures and findings related to auditory processing evaluation in individuals diagnosed with voice disorders.

Following the Joanna Briggs Institute guidelines and the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses extension for Scoping Reviews (PRISMA-ScR), this review was registered in the Open Science Framework (OSF) and conducted across six electronic databases (PubMed, LILACS, Scopus, Embase, Web of Science, and Cochrane Library) and the gray literature (MedRxiv, ProQuest, Google Scholar, and experts' references). A total of 1,258 records were screened, and six studies met the inclusion criteria. The selected studies evaluated 97 adults (aged 18-58 years, mean 37.5 years) with behavioral or organic voice disorders. Both behavioral and electrophysiological auditory assessments were identified, with a predominance of behavioral approaches. Temporal ordering abilities - particularly sound pattern recognition involving frequency, duration, and intensity - were the most frequently evaluated auditory skills. Temporal ordering tests appeared in 83.3% of the studies, and nearly half of the participants (49.6%) demonstrated deficits in at least one temporal processing measure. Despite methodological variability across studies, altered results were consistently observed in temporal auditory tasks, underscoring the centrality of temporal processing in voice disorders.

Auditory processing assessment in individuals with voice disorders predominantly relies on behavioral measures, especially those involving temporal ordering and sequencing tasks, which are essential for accurate speech and vocal modulation. The recurrent finding of temporal processing deficits suggests that difficulties in organizing and integrating auditory information may contribute to alterations in vocal control and feedback mechanisms. The review highlights the need for standardized assessment protocols and multimodal approaches - combining behavioral and electrophysiological tools - to better elucidate how auditory processing influences voice production and to inform clinical strategies for voice rehabilitation.