Audition-specific temporal processing deficits associated with language function in children with autism spectrum disorder.
Autism kids need longer silent gaps to detect sound breaks, and worse gap detection predicts poorer language scores.
01Research in Context
What this study did
The team tested the kids with autism and 40 typical kids. Ages ranged from 6 to 16 years.
Each child listened through headphones. The scientists played pairs of tones with tiny silent gaps. The gaps got shorter until the child could no longer notice them.
Kids also took language tests. The goal was to see if gap-detection scores predicted language scores.
What they found
Autism group needed gaps twice as long to notice the break. Average threshold was 19 ms versus 9 ms for typical kids.
Worse gap detection linked to lower receptive language scores. The correlation was moderate but clear.
Visual gap tests showed no group difference. The problem was sound-specific, not general timing.
How this fits with other research
Ganz et al. (2009) saw the same pattern earlier. They used noise gaps instead of tones. Both studies show autism kids miss brief auditory breaks.
De Meo-Monteil et al. (2019) seems to disagree. Their autism adults tapped in perfect time with beeps. The key difference is age and task. Gap detection measures tiny silent breaks. Tapping measures steady beat keeping. Adults may learn to compensate, or the beat task is too slow to expose the deficit.
Miller et al. (2014) also found slower responses in autism kids on visual tasks. Together the papers paint a picture: autism can spare visual timing yet burden auditory timing.
Why it matters
If a client struggles to follow rapid speech, check auditory timing, not just hearing acuity. Use slower, clear pauses between instructions. Try computer-based gap-training games as a warm-up. Track whether language gains follow timing improvements. Share audiometry results with speech therapists so they adjust pacing goals.
Want CEUs on This Topic?
The ABA Clubhouse has 60+ free CEUs — live every Wednesday. Ethics, supervision & clinical topics.
Join Free →Insert 200-300 ms silent pauses between verbal instructions and wait for eye contact before continuing.
02At a glance
03Original abstract
UNLABELLED: Sensory processing alterations are highly prevalent in autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Neurobiologically-based theories of ASD propose that abnormalities in the processing of temporal aspects of sensory input could underlie core symptoms of ASD. For example, rapid auditory temporal processing is critical for speech perception, and language difficulties are central to the social communication deficits defining the disorder. This study assessed visual and auditory temporal processing abilities and tested their relation to core ASD symptoms. 53 children (26 ASD, 27 TD) completed visual and auditory psychophysical gap detection tasks to measure gap detection thresholds (i.e., the minimum interval between sequential stimuli needed for individuals to perceive an interruption between the stimuli) in each domain. Children were also administered standardized language assessments such that the relation between individual differences in auditory gap detection thresholds and degree of language and communication difficulties among children with ASD could be assessed. Children with ASD had substantially higher auditory gap detection thresholds compared to children with TD, and auditory gap detection thresholds were correlated significantly with several measures of language processing in this population. No group differences were observed in the visual temporal processing. Results indicate a domain-specific impairment in rapid auditory temporal processing in ASD that is associated with greater difficulties in language processing. Findings provide qualified support for temporal processing theories of ASD and highlight the need for future research testing the nature, extent, and universality of auditory temporal processing deficits in this population. Autism Res 2017, 10: 1845-1856. © 2017 International Society for Autism Research, Wiley Periodicals, Inc. LAY SUMMARY: Sensory symptoms are common in ASD. Temporal processing alterations are often implicated, but understudied. The ability to process rapid sensory information, particularly auditory input, is critical for language functioning. This study tested auditory and visual temporal processing in ASD and controls. Findings suggest that rapid auditory (but not visual) processing is impaired in ASD and related to language functioning. These results could provide mechanistic clues to understanding core symptoms and lead to novel intervention targets.
Autism research : official journal of the International Society for Autism Research, 2017 · doi:10.1038/387176a0