Habituation of the blink reflex in the neonatal period and development of auditory processing.

Objective: To check the existence of an association between the presence/absence of the blink reflex habituation in the neonatal period and auditory processing development.

Methods: The occurrence of blink reflex habituation was studied in 33 neurologically normal neonates, aged between 9 and 25 months, who had their behavioral responses analyzed and classified according to Azevedo (1993). Habituation of the blink reflex was verified using 90-dB sound stimulus.