Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 12, 2026
09:13
Testing Sensory and Multisensory Function in Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder
Published on: April 22, 2015
Auditory processing and communication in autism: exploring verbal abilities and vocal affective cues
Alec Gallo1, Jennifer Henderson Sabes2, Carly Demopoulos1,3
1Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, United States.
Frontiers in Psychiatry
|May 11, 2026
Summary
Auditory processing skills significantly impact verbal and non-verbal communication in children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Specific auditory abilities, like gap detection, are linked to language and emotional cue recognition, while spectral processing aids articulation.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Developmental Psychology
- Speech and Hearing Sciences
Background:
- Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is characterized by social communication deficits.
- Auditory processing differences are frequently reported in individuals with ASD.
- The precise relationship between auditory processing and specific communication skills in ASD requires further elucidation.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the association between auditory processing abilities and both verbal and non-verbal communication skills in children and adolescents with ASD.
- To identify specific auditory processing components that correlate with different aspects of communication.
Main Methods:
- 97 autistic and 44 neurotypical children/adolescents completed auditory processing tests (SCAN-3) and communication assessments (CELF-5, GFTA-3, DANVA-2).
- Statistical analyses examined correlations between auditory processing subtest scores and communication skill measures.
Main Results:
- Auditory processing measures were significantly associated with verbal and non-verbal communication skills in autistic participants.
- SCAN-3 time-compressed sentence and gap detection scores correlated with language skills and emotional cue recognition.
- Gap detection also linked to language skills; auditory figure-ground performance related to articulation.
Conclusions:
- Specific auditory processing aspects are crucial for developing targeted communication skills in children with ASD.
- Spectral auditory processing relates to articulation, while temporal processing impacts broader verbal and non-verbal communication.
- Further research is needed to understand mechanisms and causality for intervention development.
Keywords:
auditory processingautismchildren and adolescentssensory processingverbal abilitiesvocal affect recognitionMore Related Videos
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