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Auditory processing is the ability of the brain to manipulate and utilise the neural output of the ear based on the frequency, intensity, and temporal features of the incoming acoustic signal. An auditory processing disorder (APD) is a deficiency in this ability. One category of tests that examine auditory processing ability are the various versions of the "filtered words test" (FWT), whereby a monaural, low-redundancy speech sample is distorted by using filtering to modify its frequency content. Due to the richness of the neural pathways in the auditory system and the redundancy of acoustic information in spoken language, a normal listener is able to recognize speech even when parts of the signal are missing, whereas this ability is often impaired in listeners with APD. One limitation of the various versions of the FWT is that they are carried out using a constant level of low-pass filtering (e.g. a corner frequency of 1000 Hz), which is prone to ceiling and floor effects. The purpose of this study was to counter these effects by modifying the FWT to use a computer-based adaptive procedure, to improve the sensitivity of the test over its constant-level counterparts. The University of Canterbury Monosyllabic Adaptive Speech Test (UC MAST) was performed on 23 normal adults, and 32 normal children (7 to 11 years of age). The child participants also underwent the SCAN-C test for APD in Children (Revised). Findings indicated a significant maturational effect on the UC MAST. Adult participants performed significantly better on the UC MAST in comparison to the child participants. In addition, adult participants performed the UC MAST more reliably than their younger counterparts. No correlation was found between performance on the UC MAST and SCAN-C test. The development of the UC MAST is discussed and the clinical implications of the findings are explored.

Children with central auditory processing disorders (CAPD) have a normal pure-tone audiogram, however, they have difficulty understanding speech in the presence of background noise. The present study examined binaural hearing in normal children and those with possible CAPD. Each subject was administered the SCAN or SCAN-A, screening tests for CAPD, to determine whether they were at risk for CAPD. Participants were then subjected to several monaural and binaural speech tasks, in quiet and noise. Spondee words were utilized in each task, under headphone and soundfield conditions.

Auditory processing is the ability of the brain to manipulate and utilise the neural output of the ear based on the frequency, intensity, and temporal features of the incoming acoustic signal. An auditory processing disorder (APD) is a deficiency in this ability. One category of tests that examine auditory processing ability are the various versions of the "filtered words test" (FWT), whereby a monaural, low-redundancy speech sample is distorted by using filtering to modify its frequency content. Due to the richness of the neural pathways in the auditory system and the redundancy of acoustic information in spoken language, a normal listener is able to recognize speech even when parts of the signal are missing, whereas this ability is often impaired in listeners with APD. One limitation of the various versions of the FWT is that they are carried out using a constant level of low-pass filtering (e.g. a corner frequency of 1000 Hz), which is prone to ceiling and floor effects. The purpose of this study was to counter these effects by modifying the FWT to use a computer-based adaptive procedure, to improve the sensitivity of the test over its constant-level counterparts. The University of Canterbury Monosyllabic Adaptive Speech Test (UC MAST) was performed on 23 normal adults, and 32 normal children (7 to 11 years of age). The child participants also underwent the SCAN-C test for APD in Children (Revised). Findings indicated a significant maturational effect on the UC MAST. Adult participants performed significantly better on the UC MAST in comparison to the child participants. In addition, adult participants performed the UC MAST more reliably than their younger counterparts. No correlation was found between performance on the UC MAST and SCAN-C test. The development of the UC MAST is discussed and the clinical implications of the findings are explored.

Masking Level Difference (MLD) tests are an established component of auditory processing test batteries; however, normative data for these tests vary according to procedure. In this study, forty normal, native-English speaking adults between the ages of 18 and 26 were tested for MLD via a newly developed computer software program using both an adaptive procedure (MLDA) and a Bekesy procedure (MLDB). The results from the two procedures were analyzed for sex differences and compared with each other. For both the MLDA and MLDB, the results showed statistically significant sex differences in the masked thresholds used to obtain the MLD (NoSo and NoSπ), but no significant difference in the calculated MLD value (NoSo - NoSπ). These results suggest that since the MLD was similar for both sexes, the normative data need not be reported separately by sex. The results also showed statistically significant differences between procedures, with the MLDA procedure producing higher MLDs than the MLDB procedure. The MLDA procedure lent itself to a d´ analysis, which could not be determined using MLDB due to the nature of a Bekesy assessment. For MLDA, d´ = 1.4, test sensitivity = 96.4%, and test specificity = 60.3%. The results of this study indicate that MLDA is a better testing procedure due to MLDA's higher MLD average and the statistical data available (d´, and measures of sensitivity and specificity) when using the MLDA procedure.

Masking Level Difference (MLD) tests are an established component of auditory processing test batteries; however, normative data for these tests vary according to procedure. In this study, forty normal, native-English speaking adults between the ages of 18 and 26 were tested for MLD via a newly developed computer software program using both an adaptive procedure (MLDA) and a Bekesy procedure (MLDB). The results from the two procedures were analyzed for sex differences and compared with each other. For both the MLDA and MLDB, the results showed statistically significant sex differences in the masked thresholds used to obtain the MLD (NoSo and NoSπ), but no significant difference in the calculated MLD value (NoSo - NoSπ). These results suggest that since the MLD was similar for both sexes, the normative data need not be reported separately by sex. The results also showed statistically significant differences between procedures, with the MLDA procedure producing higher MLDs than the MLDB procedure. The MLDA procedure lent itself to a d´ analysis, which could not be determined using MLDB due to the nature of a Bekesy assessment. For MLDA, d´ = 1.4, test sensitivity = 96.4%, and test specificity = 60.3%. The results of this study indicate that MLDA is a better testing procedure due to MLDA’s higher MLD average and the statistical data available (d´, and measures of sensitivity and specificity) when using the MLDA procedure.

Please read the abstract in the section 00front of this document / Thesis (DPhil (Communication Pathology))--University of Pretoria, 2006. / Speech-Language Pathology and Audiology / DPhil / Unrestricted

Made available in DSpace on 2016-04-27T18:12:35Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Fernanda Camargo Geribola.pdf: 1547941 bytes, checksum: 063b4de26b3cbb4c88109ec3946d7674 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2008-04-30 / Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior / Objective: to investigate sound localization, motor-acoustic organization and auditory discrimination performance in 7 to 11 year-old children and to describe results according to gender and to answers of teachers and parents to a questionnaire. Method: 60 children were evaluated: 30 2nd or 3rd grade students and 30 4th or 5th grade. The distribution of the students according to age was: 26,7% were 7, 21,7% were 8, 15% were 9, 35% were 10 and 1,6% were 11 years old. They were submitted to visual inspection of external acoustic meatus, pure tone audiometry, timpanometry (as an inclusion criteria). The study had three phases: screening questionnaire answered by parents, learning difficulties questionnaire answered by teachers and sound localization, motor-acoustic organization and auditory discrimination performance. Results: there was no statistically significant difference between level of scholarship and tests performance; teachers answers for the learning difficulties questionnaire and tests performance. Students who performed poorly in the tests were oral respirators, presented more ear ache and throat infection episodes, frequently asked repetition of what was said, loud speakers and had familiar history of hearing loss, according to the comparison of parents answers to a questionnaire and tests performance. Conclusions: 1. it was not possible to establish a relationship between age and tests performance; 2. learning difficulties questions for the teachers did not allow detecting students who needed auditory processing evaluation; 3. the questionnaire answered by parents allowed identifying students at risk for poor performance in the applied auditory abilities tests / Objetivo: O objetivo deste trabalho foi investigar o desempenho de crianças entre 7 e 11 anos para os testes de localização da fonte sonora, organização acústico motor e discriminação auditiva, descrevendo os resultados do desempenho das crianças nos diferentes testes em função do sexo e das respostas dos pais ao questionário. Método: Foram avaliadas 60 crianças, sendo 30 matriculadas na 2 ªou 3 ª e 30 na 4 ª ou 5 ª série, distribuídas segundo a faixa etária em : 7 anos (26,7%), 8 anos (21,7%), 9 anos (15%), 10 anos (35%) e 11 anos (1.6%). As crianças foram submetidas a inspeção visual do meato acústico externo, audiometria tonal liminar, timpanometria (como critério de inclusão). A coleta foi realizada em três fases: questionário de triagem auditiva com os pais, questionário com os professores sobre a presença de dificuldade de aprendizagem e desempenho das crianças nos testes: Teste de Localização da Fonte Sonora, de Teste de Organização Acústico-Motora e Teste de Discriminação Auditiva com as crianças. Resultados: a análise da relação entre nível de escolaridade e desempenho nos testes de não mostrou diferença estatisticamente significante. Para a questão desempenho das crianças nos diferentes testes segundo a resposta do professor para a questão ter ou não queixa de dificuldade de aprendizagem, os resultados não foram estatisticamente significantes. A análise descritiva em valores de porcentagem do desempenho das crianças nos testes aplicados em relação com às respostas dos pais ao questionário aplicado e a análise por agrupamento, mostraram que as crianças que não apresentaram desempenho adequado eram as que os pais informaram que: eram respiradores bucais, tiveram muitos episódios de dor de ouvido e infecção de garganta , falam muito Hãm e o quê; fala muito alto e devagar e que tem antecedentes familiares de perda auditiva. Conclusões: os dados obtidos nessa pesquisa permitem concluir: 1. que não foi possível estabelecer relação entre faixa etária e desempenho nos testes; 2. que a pergunta sobre dificuldade de aprendizagem feita ao professor não permite detectar crianças que necessitariam de avaliação diagnóstica de transtorno de processamento auditivo; 3. que o questionário aplicado aos pais permitiu identificar os riscos para bom desempenho nos testes de habilidades auditivas aplicados

Currently a need for auditory processing test material for the identification of auditory processing disorders in children exists in the South African context. The purpose of this study was the Afrikaans translation and cultural adaptation of the SCAN-C: Test for Auditory Processing Disorders in Children-Revised (Keith, 2000a) and to determine the appropriateness thereof for preschool children. To achieve the objective of this study the research was performed in three phases and quantitative-descriptive research was utilized, with different methods for each of the phases. In Phase I the SCAN-C (Keith, 2000a) was translated and culturally adapted into Afrikaans for learners in Grade R. In Phase II the Siftingstoets vir Ouditiewe Prosesseringsafwykings (STOPA) was reviewed by speech-language therapists and/or audiologists as well as Grade R teachers (n = 11) by means of a customized questionnaire to determine appropriateness of the STOPA. A pilot study was conducted on Grade R learners (n = 10) before the STOPA was finalized and recorded. In Phase III the STOPA was performed on Grade R learners identified with normal auditory processing (n = 16) as well as Grade R learners identified with an auditory processing disorder (n = 14) to determine the validity and accuracy of the STOPA. The results indicated that the STOPA is age and culturally appropriate but that the validity and accuracy of the STOPA could not yet be proved. Clinical implications for identification, diagnosis and intervention for children with auditory processing disorders were discussed in order to provide the audiologist and speech-language therapist with evidence-based principles for clinical practice. Implications for further research include refining the STOPA during which normative data should be obtained. This study can therefore be viewed as the first step to standardize the STOPA, as well as to develop test material for other language and culture groups for the early identification of auditory processing disorders in children. / Dissertation (M (Communication Pathology))--University of Pretoria, 2007. / Speech-Language Pathology and Audiology / Unrestricted