title: Auditory preference of children with autism spectrum disorders.
abstract: Research on children with autism spectrum disorders suggests differences from neurotypical children in the preference for 'social' versus 'nonsocial' sounds. Conclusions have been based largely on the use of head-turn methodology which has various limitations as a means of establishing auditory preference. In the present study, preference was assessed by measuring the frequency with which children pressed a button to hear different sounds using an interactive toy. Contrary to prior results, both groups displayed a strong preference for the highly social sounds. These findings have implications for approaches to language intervention and for theoretical debates regarding social motivation.
authors.affiliation: Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders, University of Wisconsin-Whitewater, Roseman Building Room 1016, Whitewater, WI, 53190, USA. gilbertl@uww.edu.
authors.forename: Lynn R
authors.initials: LR
authors.lastname: Gilbertson
authors.affiliation: Auditory Behavioral Research Lab, Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI, 53706, USA.
authors.forename: Robert A
authors.initials: RA
authors.lastname: Lutfi
authors.affiliation: Language Processes Lab, Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders, Waisman Center, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI, 53706, USA.
authors.forename: Susan
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Ellis Weismer
mesh_terms: D000161:Acoustic Stimulation; D001307:Auditory Perception / Q000502:physiology*; D000067877:Autism Spectrum Disorder / Q000150:complications* / Q000503:physiopathology*; D002659:Child Development Disorders, Pervasive / Q000503:physiopathology*; D002675:Child, Preschool; D002755:Choice Behavior / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009042:Motivation / Q000502:physiology*; D011597:Psychomotor Performance / Q000502:physiology
keywords: Autism; Children; Listening preference