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Perception of Small Frequency Differences in Children with Auditory Processing Disorder or Specific Language Impairment.

ABSTRACT: BACKGROUND:Frequency discrimination is often impaired in children developing language atypically. However, findings in the detection of small frequency changes in these children are conflicting. Previous studies on children's auditory perceptual abilities usually involved establishing differential sensitivity thresholds in sample populations who were not tested for auditory deficits. To date, there are no data comparing suprathreshold frequency discrimination ability in children tested for both auditory processing and language skills. PURPOSE:: This study examined the perception of small frequency differences (?ƒ) in children with auditory processing disorder (APD) and/or specific language impairment (SLI). The aim was to determine whether children with APD and children with SLI showed differences in their behavioral responses to frequency changes. Results were expected to identify different degrees of impairment and shed some light on the auditory perceptual overlap between pediatric APD and SLI. RESEARCH DESIGN:An experimental group design using a two-alternative forced-choice procedure was used to determine frequency discrimination ability for three magnitudes of ?ƒ from the 1000-Hz base frequency. STUDY SAMPLE:Thirty children between 10 years of age and 12 years, 11 months of age: 17 children with APD and/or SLI, and 13 typically developing (TD) peers participated. The clinical groups included four children with APD only, four children with SLI only, and nine children with both APD and SLI. DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS:Behavioral data collected using headphone delivery were analyzed using the sensitivity index d', calculated for three ?ƒ was 2%, 5%, and 15% of the base frequency or 20, 50, and 150 Hz. Correlations between the dependent variable d' and the independent variables measuring auditory processing and language skills were also obtained. A stepwise regression analysis was then performed. RESULTS:TD children and children with APD and/or SLI differed in the detection of small-tone ?ƒ. In addition, APD or SLI status affected behavioral results differently. Comparisons between auditory processing test scores or language test scores and the sensitivity index d' showed different strengths of correlation based on the magnitudes of the ?ƒ. Auditory processing scores showed stronger correlation to the sensitivity index d' for the small ?ƒ, while language scores showed stronger correlation to the sensitivity index d' for the large ?ƒ. CONCLUSION:Although children with APD and/or SLI have difficulty with behavioral frequency discrimination, this difficulty may stem from two different levels: a basic auditory level for children with APD and a higher language processing level for children with SLI; the frequency discrimination performance seemed to be affected by the labeling demands of the same versus different frequency discrimination task for the children with SLI.

SUBMITTER: Rota-Donahue C

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4976617 | biostudies-literature | 2016 Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Perception of Small Frequency Differences in Children with Auditory Processing Disorder or Specific Language Impairment.

Rota-Donahue Christine C Schwartz Richard G RG Shafer Valerie V Sussman Elyse S ES

Journal of the American Academy of Audiology 20160601 6

<h4>Background</h4>Frequency discrimination is often impaired in children developing language atypically. However, findings in the detection of small frequency changes in these children are conflicting. Previous studies on children's auditory perceptual abilities usually involved establishing differential sensitivity thresholds in sample populations who were not tested for auditory deficits. To date, there are no data comparing suprathreshold frequency discrimination ability in children tested f ...[more]

PMID: 27310407

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Project description:BackgroundWord learning is an important component of language development that influences child outcomes across multiple domains. Despite the importance of word knowledge, word-learning mechanisms are poorly understood in children with specific language impairment (SLI) and children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). This study examined underlying mechanisms of word learning, specifically, statistical learning and fast-mapping, in school-aged children with typical and atypical development.MethodsStatistical learning was assessed through a word segmentation task and fast-mapping was examined in an object-label association task. We also examined children's ability to map meaning onto newly segmented words in a third task that combined exposure to an artificial language and a fast-mapping task.ResultsChildren with SLI had poorer performance on the word segmentation and fast-mapping tasks relative to the typically developing and ASD groups, who did not differ from one another. However, when children with SLI were exposed to an artificial language with phonemes used in the subsequent fast-mapping task, they successfully learned more words than in the isolated fast-mapping task. There was some evidence that word segmentation abilities are associated with word learning in school-aged children with typical development and ASD, but not SLI. Follow-up analyses also examined performance in children with ASD who did and did not have a language impairment. Children with ASD with language impairment evidenced intact statistical learning abilities, but subtle weaknesses in fast-mapping abilities.ConclusionsAs the Procedural Deficit Hypothesis (PDH) predicts, children with SLI have impairments in statistical learning. However, children with SLI also have impairments in fast-mapping. Nonetheless, they are able to take advantage of additional phonological exposure to boost subsequent word-learning performance. In contrast to the PDH, children with ASD appear to have intact statistical learning, regardless of language status; however, fast-mapping abilities differ according to broader language skills.

Dataset Information

Perception of Small Frequency Differences in Children with Auditory Processing Disorder or Specific Language Impairment.

Publications

Perception of Small Frequency Differences in Children with Auditory Processing Disorder or Specific Language Impairment.

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