title: Auditory spatial localization: Developmental delay in children with visual impairments.
abstract: For individuals with visual impairments, auditory spatial localization is one of the most important features to navigate in the environment. Many works suggest that blind adults show similar or even enhanced performance for localization of auditory cues compared to sighted adults (Collignon, Voss, Lassonde, & Lepore, 2009). To date, the investigation of auditory spatial localization in children with visual impairments has provided contrasting results. Here we report, for the first time, that contrary to visually impaired adults, children with low vision or total blindness show a significant impairment in the localization of static sounds. These results suggest that simple auditory spatial tasks are compromised in children, and that this capacity recovers over time.
authors.affiliation: Robotics, Brain and Cognitive Sciences Department, Fondazione Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, via Morego 30, 16163 Genoa, Italy. Electronic address: Giulia.Cappagli@iit.it.
authors.forename: Giulia
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Cappagli
authors.affiliation: Robotics, Brain and Cognitive Sciences Department, Fondazione Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, via Morego 30, 16163 Genoa, Italy.
authors.forename: Monica
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Gori
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D001766:Blindness / Q000503:physiopathology*; D002648:Child; D002657:Child Development; D003463:Cues; D002658:Developmental Disabilities / Q000503:physiopathology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D013017:Sound Localization / Q000502:physiology*; D065855:Spatial Processing / Q000502:physiology; D014786:Vision Disorders / Q000503:physiopathology; D015354:Vision, Low / Q000503:physiopathology*; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Auditory localization; Auditory space localization; Blindness; Developmental delay; Low vision; Visually impaired children