Can speech-evoked Auditory Brainstem Response become a useful tool in clinical practice?

Purpose: To discuss the clinical applicability of the speech-evoked Auditory Brainstem Response (speech-evoked ABR) to help identifying auditory processing disorders.

Methods: We analyzed the records of 27 children and adolescents, aged between seven and 15, who presented abnormal speech-evoked ABR. Then, the data from the behavioral auditory processing evaluation of these individuals were surveyed.

Results: It was observed that, among the 27 children with abnormal speech-evoked ABR, 23 also had auditory processing disorders. Therefore, from this sample, an 85.15% probability of observing abnormal behavioral assessment of auditory processing in a child who presented abnormal speech-evoked ABR was obtained.

Conclusion: It is argued that the speech-evoked ABR can be used in clinical practice as an important aid tool in the diagnosis of auditory processing disorder, because, in this study, an abnormal speech-evoked ABR usually represented a deficit in the results of behavioral assessment of auditory processing. Thus, it can be used to obtain information about the perception of speech sounds in children under seven years or with challenging behavioral assessment.