Related Experiment Videos
Auditory-evoked response morphology in profoundly-involved multi-handicapped children: comparisons with normal
1University of Wisconsin-River Falls, USA.
Insights
Auditory brainstem response (ABR) and middle-latency response (MLR) in multi-handicapped children showed significant differences compared to normal development. These findings support the difference/defect theory in auditory development.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Developmental Psychology
- Audiology
Background:
- Auditory development in multi-handicapped children is often explained by developmental or difference/defect theories.
- Evoked potentials from the central auditory nervous system may reveal developmental influences in these children.
Purpose of the Study:
- To compare auditory-evoked potential waveform morphology between profoundly multi-handicapped children and normal infants/children.
- Investigate if developmental factors impact auditory response behaviors in multi-handicapped individuals.
Main Methods:
- Examined auditory brainstem response (ABR) and middle-latency response (MLR) morphology.
- Analyzed waveform descriptions, wave detection, latency, amplitude, and spectral energy.
- Compared handicapped subjects with normal infants and children.
Main Results:
- The majority of multi-handicapped subjects displayed ABR/MLR morphology distinct from normal controls.
- Handicapped children exhibited depressed responses and considerable waveform variability.
- Observed differences suggest atypical auditory processing in the studied population.
Conclusions:
- The study's findings support the difference/defect theory of auditory development.
- Evoked potential measures indicate significant deviations in the central auditory nervous system of multi-handicapped children.
- Further research is warranted to understand the specific nature of these auditory processing differences.
Abstract:
The developmental and difference/defect theories have been used to explain auditory development in some multi-handicapped children. If developmental factors influence auditory response behaviors, it might be predicted that evoked potentials measured from the central auditory nervous system would reflect similar developmental influences in multi-handicapped children. The purpose of this study was to compare auditory-evoked-potential waveform morphology between profoundly-involved multi-handicapped children and normal infants and children. Auditory brainstem response (ABR) and middle-latency response (MLR) morphology were examined from waveform descriptions, wave detection, latency, amplitude, and spectral energy measures. The majority of handicapped subjects exhibited response morphology unlike that of normal children or infants. ABR/MLR morphology for handicapped children was characterized by depressed responses and substantial waveform variability. The results of this study tended to support the difference/defect theory.