Effect of using an auditory trainer on the attentional, language, and social behaviors of autistic children.
A 24-minute daily auditory trainer session can cut withdrawn behavior and boost signing and classroom-appropriate behavior in autistic children.
01Research in Context
What this study did
Researchers gave four autistic children a 24-minute daily session with an auditory trainer.
The trainer is a headset that cuts background noise and sends the teacher's voice straight to the child.
They watched for changes in attention, language, and social behavior during school tasks.
What they found
Withdrawn behavior dropped sharply when the trainer was on.
Signing and other school-appropriate behaviors rose.
The gains showed up right away and stayed while the device was used.
How this fits with other research
Bonvillian et al. (1981) found that autistic kids with odd brain-stem hearing tests had worse attention and social reach.
Touchette et al. (1985) now show that fixing the sound input with a trainer lifts those same skills.
Jachyra et al. (2021) add that simple auditory cues speed up autistic students more than visual cues.
Together, the three studies build a line: if the ear gets clear, focused sound, the child attends and joins more.
Why it matters
You can try a cheap FM headset or classroom sound-field system tomorrow.
Run a quick ABAB: 24 minutes with the trainer on, then off, then on again.
Track eye contact, hand raising, or any social start.
If it works, you have a low-cost tool that needs no extra staff.
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02At a glance
03Original abstract
Two groups of seven autistic children wore an auditory trainer for an average of 24 minutes per day over two 5-week periods interspersed with 5-week control periods in a time series design. Videotapes were coded for three attentional states (normal, withdrawn, attacking), for verbalization and signing, and for appropriate and acceptable behaviors. Results demonstrated a decrease in time spent withdrawn and increases in signing and in school-appropriate behavior. Results are interpreted as congruent with Katz's theory of reduced attention due to deficits in auditory conductance.
Journal of autism and developmental disorders, 1985 · doi:10.1007/BF01531499