Intact spectral but abnormal temporal processing of auditory stimuli in autism.
The perceptual pattern in autism has been related to either a specific localized processing deficit or a pathway-independent, complexity-specific anomaly. We examined auditory perception in autism using an auditory disembedding task that required spectral and temporal integration. 23 children with high-functioning-autism and 23 matched controls participated. Participants were presented with two-syllable words embedded in various auditory backgrounds (pink noise, moving ripple, amplitude-modulated pink noise, amplitude-modulated moving ripple) to assess speech-in-noise-reception thresholds. The gain in signal perception of pink noise with temporal dips relative to pink noise without temporal dips was smaller in children with autism (p = 0.008). Thus, the autism group was less able to integrate auditory information present in temporal dips in background sound, supporting the complexity-specific perceptual account.
Groen
Wouter B
WB
Karakter, Child and Adolescent Psychiatry University Center, Nijmegen, The Netherlands. w.groen@psy.umcn.nl
van Orsouw
Linda
L
Huurne
Niels ter
Nt
Swinkels
Sophie
S
van der Gaag
Rutger-Jan
RJ
Buitelaar
Jan K
JK
Zwiers
Marcel P
MP
D000161:Acoustic Stimulation / Q000379:methods; D000293:Adolescent; D001305:Auditory Fatigue; D001321:Autistic Disorder / Q000503:physiopathology* / Q000523:psychology; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D002648:Child; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D009622:Noise; D010470:Perceptual Masking; D013067:Speech Perception; D014706:Verbal Learning; D014796:Visual Perception