Effects of Auditory Training and Remote Microphone Technology on the Behavioral Performance of Children and Young Adults Who Have Autism Spectrum Disorder.

Background: Individuals who have a normal pure-tone audiogram but are diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) often exhibit poorer speech recognition and auditory processing when compared with neurotypical peers with normal pure-tone audiograms.

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to determine the efficacy and effectiveness of a 12-week auditory processing training (APT) program that was designed to address the deleterious effects of background noise and auditory processing deficits that are common among individuals diagnosed with ASD.

Research Design: A repeated measures design was used.

Speech Recognition in Noise in Adults and Children Who Speak English or Chinese as Their First Language.

Background: Speech recognition of individuals who are listening to a nonnative language is significantly degraded in the presence of background noise and may be influenced by proficiency, age of acquisition, language experience, and daily use of the nonnative language.

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to examine and compare speech recognition in noise performance across test conditions with varying signal-to-noise ratios (SNRs) as well as the presence of vocal and spatial cues in listeners who speak American English as a native language or Mandarin Chinese as a native language. Self-rated English proficiency and experience were collected for native Mandarin Chinese speakers to determine its relationship to performance on the test measures.

Assistive technology evaluations: Remote-microphone technology for children with Autism Spectrum Disorder.

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.