Skip to content
American Academy of Audiology
  • PRACTICE RESOURCES
    • Practice Guidelines and Standards
    • Coding
    • Medicare/Medicaid
    • Compliance
  • EDUCATION & EVENTS
    • Event Calendar
    • Continuing Education
    • Online Learning and Certificate Programs
    • Research Grants and Scholarships
    • Faculty and Preceptor Resources
  • AAA ANNUAL CONFERENCE
    • Attend
    • Program and Events
    • Exhibit Hall
    • Exhibit and Sponsorship Opportunities
    • About
  • NEWS & PUBLICATIONS
    • News
    • Audiology Today
    • Journal of the American Academy of Audiology
    • Advertising
    • Permissions and Reprints
    • Press and Media Information
  • CAREERS
    • Career Center
    • Certification
    • Become an Audiologist
    • Doctoral Programs in Audiology
    • Recruiting
    • New Professional Toolkit
  • ADVOCACY
    • Legislative and Regulatory Activities
      • State Affairs
      • Federal Affairs
    • Legislative Action Center
    • Government Relations News
  • CONSUMERS
    • What Is an Audiologist
    • Hearing and Balance Symptoms and Conditions
    • Managing Hearing Loss
    • Seniors and Hearing Loss
    • Children and Hearing Loss
    • OTC Hearing Aid
  • ABOUT THE ACADEMY
    • Leadership
    • Committees and Task Forces
    • Honors and Awards
    • Get Involved
    • Sponsorships and Corporate Partners
    • Contact Us
  • MEMBERSHIP
    • Benefits
    • Ethics
    • Member Directory
    • Membership Renewals
FacebookTwitterLinkedinYoutubeInstagram
  • Students
  • Get Involved
  • Donate
  • Renew
American Academy of Audiology
Member Login
  • PRACTICE RESOURCES
    • Practice Guidelines and Standards
    • Coding
    • Medicare/Medicaid
    • Compliance
  • EDUCATION & EVENTS
    • Event Calendar
    • Continuing Education
    • Online Learning and Certificate Programs
    • Research Grants and Scholarships
    • Faculty and Preceptor Resources
  • AAA ANNUAL CONFERENCE
    • Attend
    • Program and Events
    • Exhibit Hall
    • Exhibit and Sponsorship Opportunities
    • About
  • NEWS & PUBLICATIONS
    • News
    • Audiology Today
    • Journal of the American Academy of Audiology
    • Advertising
    • Permissions and Reprints
    • Press and Media Information
  • CAREERS
    • Career Center
    • Certification
    • Become an Audiologist
    • Doctoral Programs in Audiology
    • Recruiting
    • New Professional Toolkit
  • ADVOCACY
    • Legislative and Regulatory Activities
      • State Affairs
      • Federal Affairs
    • Legislative Action Center
    • Government Relations News
  • CONSUMERS
    • What Is an Audiologist
    • Hearing and Balance Symptoms and Conditions
    • Managing Hearing Loss
    • Seniors and Hearing Loss
    • Children and Hearing Loss
    • OTC Hearing Aid
  • ABOUT THE ACADEMY
    • Leadership
    • Committees and Task Forces
    • Honors and Awards
    • Get Involved
    • Sponsorships and Corporate Partners
    • Contact Us
  • MEMBERSHIP
    • Benefits
    • Ethics
    • Member Directory
    • Membership Renewals
August 1, 2019

Managing Auditory Processing Problems in Individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder

  • Audiology in the News

Hey, audiologists! Have you ever considered offering auditory processing interventions for individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) at your clinic or practice?

Did you know that the Centers for Disease Control estimates that 1 in 59 children have ASD (Baio et al, 2018)? Also, did you know that, despite normal pure-tone hearing sensitivity, most children and adults who have ASD have auditory processing difficulties and sensitivities, especially in background noise?

The auditory processing deficits are across most domains tested by audiologists including speech-in-noise recognition, dichotic digits and words, temporal processing, and working memory (Rance et al, 2014; Schafer et al, 2016, 2019). The good news is that audiologists can help!

In a recent study published in JAAA, 15 high-functioning children and young adults with ASD showed significantly improved auditory processing on several behavioral and qualitative measures after completing a 12-week program that included speech-in-noise training, software-based dichotic training, and use of open-ear remote-microphone technology (Schafer et al, 2019). These individuals also showed significant changes in electrophysiological responses (Gopal et al, 2019). These studies highlight the potential of audiologists to manage the auditory processing difficulties common to children and young adults with ASD.

References

Baio J, Wiggins L, Christensen DL, et al. (2018) Prevalence of autism spectrum disorder among children aged 8 years—Autism and Developmental Disabilities Monitoring Network, 11 Sites, United States, 2014. MMWR Surveillance Summaries 67(No. SS-6):1–23.

Gopal KV, Schafer E C, Mathews L, Nandy R, Beaudoin D, Schadt L, Caldwell J. (2019) Effects of auditory training on electrophysiological measures in individuals with autism spectrum disorder. J Amer Acad Audiology. In press.

Rance G, Saunders K, Carew P, Johansson M, Tan J. (2014) The use of listening devices to ameliorate auditory deficit in children with autism. J Peds 164(2):352-357.

Schafer EC, Gopal KV, Mathews L, Thompson S, Kaiser K, McCullough S, Hutcheson A. (2019) Effects of auditory training and remote‐microphone technology on the behavioral performance of children and young adults who have autism spectrum disorder. J Amer Acad Audiology 30(5), 431-443.

Schafer EC, Wright S, Anderson C, Dyson J, Pitts K, Bryant D, Reed MP. (2016) Assistive technology evaluations: Remote-microphone technology for children with autism spectrum disorder. J Comm Dis 64:1-17.

Share this

Related Posts

Panic Disorders in Patients with Vestibular Dysfunction: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Ectoderm Barcoding Reveals Neural and Cochlear Compartmentalization

Industrial Air Pollution and Newborn Hearing Screening Failure

Recent Posts

Government Relations News

From Capitol Hill to Your Clinic: SPAN July Meeting on Medicaid Cuts

The State Policy Advocacy Network (SPAN) will convene again on July 29 for a critical meeting about Medicaid funding. SPAN brings together nationwide audiologists and…

Read More
The White House from the sky
Government Relations News

EHDI Program at Risk

On April 1, President Trump’s administration eliminated the entire branch of the Early Hearing Detection and Intervention (EHDI) program that works with states to analyze…

Read More
Audiology in the News

Panic Disorders in Patients with Vestibular Dysfunction: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

In the article, Panic Disorders in Patients with Vestibular Dysfunction: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis, McCray and colleagues (2025) completed a meta-analysis of comorbid panic…

Read More
wave-mark

Join the Academy

Academy members receive many benefits for professional development, practice management, and community development.

Become a Member
COMM24-Academy_Website_Graphics-revised_logo(W)

American Academy of Audiology
11480 Commerce Park Drive
Suite 220
Reston, VA 20191

Tel: 703-790-8466
Fax: 703-790-8631

  • Practice Resources
  • Education and Events
  • AAA Annual Conference
  • News and Publications
  • Careers
  • Advocacy
  • About the Academy
  • Consumers and Patients
  • Students
  • Donate
  • Get Involved
  • Contact Us
  • Privacy Policy
  • Antitrust Policy and Guidelines
  • Terms of Use Policy
  • Accessibility Statement
  • Sitemap

© Copyright 2025 American Academy of Audiology

Website by Yoko Co

This content is an exclusive benefit for American Academy of Audiology members.

If you’re a member, log in and you’ll get immediate access.

 

Member Login

 

If you’re not yet a member, you’ll be interested to know that joining not only gives you access to top-notch resources like this one, but also invitations to member-only events, inclusion in the member directory, participation in professional forums, and access to patient resources, tools, and continuing education. Join today!

Scroll To Top
We use cookies to improve your experience on our site. By continuing to use our site, you accept our use of cookies. To learn more, please see our Privacy Policy.Ok