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Auditory Integration Training for Children With Autism: No Behavioral Benefits Detected
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Auditory TrainingEducationAuditory DevelopmentNeurodiversitySocial Communication DisorderChild LanguageControl TreatmentAutismAuditory ScienceDevelopmental DisorderAuditory Integration TrainingChild PsychologyBehavioral SciencesAural AugmentationAudiologyRehabilitationAuditory ResearchBehavioral Benefits DetectedHuman HearingHearing LossPediatricsSpecial EducationCrossover Experimental DesignArtsAuditory System
In a crossover experiment with 16 autistic children, auditory integration training and a control treatment were administered, and outcomes were assessed blind to order using parent and teacher ratings, direct observation, IQ, language, and social/adaptive tests. The control condition outperformed auditory integration training on parent‑rated hyperactivity and direct observation of ear‑occlusion, while no teacher‑rated differences were found; IQ and language comprehension did not improve, adaptive/social scores and expressive language declined, and no child showed clinical benefit.
Auditory integration training and a control treatment were provided for 16 children with autism in a crossover experimental design. Measures, blind to treatment order, included parent and teacher ratings of behavior, direct observational recordings, IQ, language, and social/adaptive tests. Significant differences tended to show that the control condition was superior on parent-rated measures of hyperactivity and on direct observational measures of ear-occlusion. No differences were detected on teacher-rated measures. Children's IQs and language comprehension did not increase, but adaptive/social behavior scores and expressive language quotients decreased. The majority of parents (56%) were unable to report in retrospect when their child had received auditory integration training. No individual child was identified as benefiting clinically or educationally from the treatment.