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Comparison of auditory stimulus processing in normal and autistic adolescents
Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders
|June 1, 1981
Summary
Autistic adolescents may avoid speech by tuning out auditory stimuli. Delayed auditory feedback (DAF) increased speech duration and sound levels in both autistic and neurotypical adolescents, suggesting altered auditory processing.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Developmental Psychology
- Speech-Language Pathology
Background:
- Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is characterized by social communication challenges.
- A potential mechanism is the "tune-out" hypothesis, involving perceptual suppression of auditory speech stimuli.
- Understanding this mechanism is crucial for developing effective interventions.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the "tune-out" auditory suppression hypothesis in autistic adolescents.
- To examine how altered auditory feedback affects speech production in ASD.
- To compare speech characteristics between autistic adolescents and neurotypical controls.
Main Methods:
- Utilized a within-subjects design with three auditory feedback conditions: delayed auditory feedback (DAF), white noise masking, and normal listening.
- Measured speech time duration and sound pressure level (SPL) as objective speech parameters.
- Included five autistic adolescents and six neurotypical controls.
Main Results:
- Delayed auditory feedback (DAF) significantly increased speech sound pressure level (SPL) in both autistic and neurotypical groups.
- DAF also led to increased speech time duration for both participant groups.
- No significant differences were noted between groups in response to DAF, contrary to the tune-out hypothesis.
Conclusions:
- The "tune-out" auditory suppression hypothesis was not supported by this study.
- Both autistic and neurotypical adolescents exhibit altered speech production under DAF conditions.
- Further research is needed to explore other potential mechanisms underlying speech avoidance in autism.