![]() ![]() We are also looking for differences in brain activity when the names are played during background chatter versus quiet. For example, we can compare responses to a recording of the participant’s own name versus unfamiliar names. This includes monitoring the brain’s response to particularly meaningful sounds compared to less important sounds. In our study sessions, we place an elastic EEG cap with small sensors on the head to record the brain’s electrical activity in response to sounds. We can do this regardless of the study participant’s verbal or cognitive abilities. ![]() My fellowship research project overcomes this hurdle by using electroencephalography (EEG) to measure how the brain registers and processes sounds. For this reason, most research on auditory processing disorder in people with autism has focused on those who have language and cognitive abilities in a normal to high range. But it can be challenging to study auditory processing in people who have difficulty understanding spoken directions or lack the ability to describe what they hear or perceive. A new approach to help those who need it mostĪround a third of children and adults with autism have severe language impairments, and we believe that this group is likely to be more affected by auditory processing disorders. If the brain can’t process these sounds effectively or the sounds are being blocked out, this can present a serious challenge to learning language. Remember, children typically pick up language by listening to people talk and detecting the patterns of that make up speech. Īn integral part of this research is to see if autism-related difficulties in using and understanding language stem from a combination of brain-based auditory processing issues and the behaviors these individuals use to escape the distress and anxiety caused by their sensitivities to sound and social communication more generally (like covering their ears and turning away). I’m pursuing this work under the mentorship of Helen Tager-Flusberg, director of Boston University’s Center for Autism Research Excellence, and Barbara Shinn-Cunningham, director of Boston University’s Auditory Neuroscience Laboratory and Center for Research in Sensory Communication and Emerging Neural Technology. These insights, we believe, are the first step to developing personalized interventions that can support communication and improve quality of life. Image courtesy of Boston University Center for Autism Research Excellencespectrum. My research aims to deepen our understanding of the brain-activity patterns associated with sound hypersensitivity and difficulty with language in adolescents and young adults on the autism This participant is looking forward to watching Frozen now that her EEG cap is on. Some estimates based on parent reports suggest that up to 80 percent of children with autism process sounds in atypical ways. We know that autism and auditory processing disorders often overlap, though don’t know precisely how often. Parents often notice these “auditory hypersensitivities” when their children are quite young – even before a child is diagnosed with autism. Feeling distressed when surrounded by a lot of chatter or other noise.Humming in response to chatter or other noises.Covering one’s ears in situations that don't seem particularly noisy to most people.If you have autism – or have a child with autism – you may have experienced or seen indications of this difficulty such as the following: But research increasingly suggests that autism often involves difficulties in distinguishing and processing sound – one of the most basic skills needed to understand and use speech. We don’t know what prevents around a third of people with autism from developing language. And it presents challenges in settings that most people might consider “ordinary.” Auditory processing and autism However, for someone with an auditory processing disorder, the difficulty is already present in early childhood. It’s interesting to note that processing sound in noisy environments appears to become more difficult as people age. That’s when we need to really concentrate on the person who’s talking with us. Most people perform this kind of sound processing automatically, though it gets more challenging in noisy settings. You’re probably using both sound and visual cues to do so – focusing on your friend’s mouth and the pitch of her voice. This involves separating her words from the rest of the sounds. To have that a conversation, you need to understand what your friend is saying. You’re surrounded by noises at different volumes. ![]() For a good analogy of what a person with an auditory processing disorder experiences, imagine trying to have a meaningful conversation with someone at a noisy party. Image courtesy the American Speech Language Hearing Association. Central auditory processing involves how the brain processes, or makes sense of, sound detected by the ear. ![]()
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