title: Assistive technology evaluations: Remote-microphone technology for children with Autism Spectrum Disorder.
abstract: The goal of this study was to conduct assistive technology evaluations on 12 children diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) to evaluate the potential benefits of remote-microphone (RM) technology. A single group, within-subjects design was utilized to explore individual and group data from functional questionnaires and behavioral test measures administered, designed to assess school- and home-based listening abilities, once with and once without RM technology. Because some of the children were unable to complete the behavioral test measures, particular focus was given to the functional questionnaires completed by primary teachers, participants, and parents. Behavioral test measures with and without the RM technology included speech recognition in noise, auditory comprehension, and acceptable noise levels. The individual and group teacher (n=8-9), parent (n=8-9), and participant (n=9) questionnaire ratings revealed substantially less listening difficulty when RM technology was used compared to the no-device ratings. On the behavioral measures, individual data revealed varied findings, which will be discussed in detail in the results section. However, on average, the use of the RM technology resulted in improvements in speech recognition in noise (4.6dB improvement) in eight children, higher auditory working memory and comprehension scores (12-13 point improvement) in seven children, and acceptance of poorer signal-to-noise ratios (8.6dB improvement) in five children. The individual and group data from this study suggest that RM technology may improve auditory function in children with ASD in the classroom, at home, and in social situations. However, variability in the data and the inability of some children to complete the behavioral measures indicates that individualized assistive technology evaluations including functional questionnaires will be necessary to determine if the RM technology will be of benefit to a particular child who has ASD.
authors: University of North Texas, Department of Audiology and Speech-Language Pathology, United States. Electronic address: Erin.Schafer@unt.edu.
authors: Erin C
authors: EC
authors: Schafer
authors: University of North Texas, Department of Audiology and Speech-Language Pathology, United States.
authors: Suzanne
authors: S
authors: Wright
authors: University of North Texas, Department of Audiology and Speech-Language Pathology, United States.
authors: Christine
authors: C
authors: Anderson
authors: University of North Texas, Department of Audiology and Speech-Language Pathology, United States.
authors: Jessalyn
authors: J
authors: Jones
authors: University of North Texas, Department of Audiology and Speech-Language Pathology, United States.
authors: Katie
authors: K
authors: Pitts
authors: University of North Texas, Department of Audiology and Speech-Language Pathology, United States.
authors: Danielle
authors: D
authors: Bryant
authors: University of North Texas, Department of Audiology and Speech-Language Pathology, United States.
authors: Melissa
authors: M
authors: Watson
authors: University of North Texas, Department of Audiology and Speech-Language Pathology, United States.
authors: Jerrica
authors: J
authors: Box
authors: University of North Texas, Department of Audiology and Speech-Language Pathology, United States.
authors: Melissa
authors: M
authors: Neve
authors: University of North Texas, Department of Audiology and Speech-Language Pathology, United States.
authors: Lauren
authors: L
authors: Mathews
authors: University of North Texas, Department of Audiology and Speech-Language Pathology, United States.
authors: Mary Pat
authors: MP
authors: Reed
mesh_terms: D000161:Acoustic Stimulation / Q000379:methods*; D000067877:Autism Spectrum Disorder / Q000523:psychology / Q000628:therapy*; D002648:Child; D006309:Hearing; D006801:Humans; D009622:Noise / Q000009:adverse effects; D012656:Self-Help Devices / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D013067:Speech Perception; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires
keywords: Auditory processing dysfunction; Autism Spectrum Disorder; Noise; Remote-microphone technology; Speech recognition