Purpose: Individuals diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) often exhibit auditory processing issues, including poor speech recognition in background noise and dichotic processing (integration of different stimuli presented to the two ears). Auditory training could mitigate these auditory difficulties. However, few auditory training…

Purpose: A meaning-oriented auditory training program for children who are deaf or hard of hearing (d/hh) was assessed with regard to its efficacy in promoting novel word learning. Method: While administering the auditory training program, one of the authors (Elizabeth Mauzé) observed that children were learning words they previously did not know.…

Background: The relationship between auditory processing (AP) test results and reading has shown significant correlations in the literature; however, whether the relationship is more coincidental or more causal is uncertain. Improving AP deficits is also not well understood, especially regarding its impacts on real-world benefits such as with…

Thirty academically achieving and 30 learning-disabled adolescents were examined on a battery of auditory language comprehension tests. Results indicated that 73 percent of the learning-disabled group scored lower than all of the control Ss on one or more of these tests. The importance of identifying auditory comprehension defects in the…

This article discusses issues related to auditory integration training (AIT), a developing treatment for children with auditory disorders. It presents preliminary data indicating that word recognition scores in the presence of competing noise improves for children with a variety of disorders who have been treated with AIT. (Author/DB)

This article notes the enthusiastic reception received by auditory integration training (AIT) for children with a wide variety of disorders including autism but raises concerns about this alternative treatment practice. It offers reasons for cautious evaluation of AIT prior to clinical implementation and summarizes current research findings. (DB)

This article reviews the research leading up to the Fast ForWord program, a language intervention protocol that uses computer games to train specific auditory or phonological skills related to the acquisition of speech and language. It also describes the therapeutic protocol and client selection processes, discusses the pros and cons of clinical…

This article critiques the theoretical basis of the Fast ForWord program, a computer-assisted language intervention program for children with language-learning impairments. It notes undocumented treatment outcomes and questions the clinical methods associated with the procedures. Fifteen cautionary statements are provided that clinicians may want…

Reviews the Earobics program, an auditory development and phonics software program designed to provide auditory processing and phonemic awareness training. The conceptual framework motivating the software development is assessed though an analysis of the six games of the program. Strengths and limitations of the program are discussed. (CR)

This study investigated the effect of FM (frequency modulation) auditory trainer use on attending behaviors of 36 students (ages 5-10) with learning disabilities. Children wearing the auditory trainers scored better than control students on eye contact, having body turned toward sound source, and absence of extraneous body movement and vocal…

An overview of an oral school, Child's Voice, for children who are deaf or hard of hearing is presented. Key features include low student-teacher ratios, teachers trained as oral educators, ongoing staff and parent education, specialized curricula, and a strong emphasis on listening and speaking throughout the day. (Contains references.)…

This article describes the intervention programs attended and progress made by two children (ages 3 and 7) who exhibited considerable differences in benefit from their cochlear implants. Their intervention programs employed both analytical and synthetic auditory training and emphasized the development of speech production and language skills.…

This article introduces a forum that provides information for assisting speech-language pathologists and audiologists in fulfilling their professional responsibilities in a variety of settings to children with hearing impairments who have cochlear implants. A preview of the following articles on services for children with cochlear implants is…

This epilogue to a forum on children with hearing impairments who have cochlear implants discusses innovation in implant technology and considers intervention issues. Key factors influencing outcomes are discussed, including educational programming, amount and length of communication intervention, and the targeting of both developmental and…