Filtered word testing in the assessment of children's central auditory abilities

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effects of various cut-off frequencies on low-pass filtered speech discrimination test results obtained from children. Two groups of children, one presumed to have normal auditory perception and the other with auditory learning disabilities, were tested. Phonetically Balanced Kindergarten word list words were low-pass filtered at 1000 Hz, 750 Hz, and 500 Hz. The results indicate a clear separation of groups for the 1000 Hz filtered condition only. The implications of these preliminary test findings are discussed.