Sensory differences are highly prevalent in autistic individuals. However, few studies have compared their presentation between autistic males and autistic females. We used psychophysics to assess and compare tactile perceptual sensitivity between autistic and non-autistic boys and girls aged between 8 and 12 years of age. While there were…

Purpose: The aim of this study was to determine whether suprasegmental speech perception contributes unique variance in predictions of reading decoding and comprehension for prelingually deaf children using two devices, at least one of which is a cochlear implant (CI). Method: A total of 104, 5- to 9-year-old CI recipients completed tests of…

Interoceptive awareness refers to the way in which we perceive and interpret our body signals. It has links to sensory processing and how we understand and respond to emotion. Current research lacks evidence as to whether gender influences interoceptive awareness in children. In occupational therapy practice, clinicians use a family-centered…

Our ability to perceive our own and other people's bodies is critical to the success of social interactions. Research has shown that adults have a distorted perception of their own body and those of other adults. However, these studies ask perceivers to estimate for adults with a similar bodily make-up. This study explored the developmental…

Observers experience complex patterns of visual motion in daily life due to their own movements through space, the movement of objects, and the geometry of surfaces in the visible world. Motion information shapes behavior and brain activity beginning in infancy. And yet most prior behavioral research has focused on how children process only one…

As an information-bearing auditory attribute of sound, pitch plays a crucial role in the perception of speech and music. Studies examining pitch processing in autism spectrum disorder have produced equivocal results. To understand this discrepancy from a mechanistic perspective, we used a novel data-driven method, the reverse-correlation paradigm,…

We studied the role of sensorimotor and working memory systems in supporting development of perceptual rhythm processing with 119 participants aged 7-12 years. Children were assessed for their abilities in sensorimotor synchronization (SMS; beat tapping), auditory working memory (AWM; digit span), and rhythm discrimination (RD; same/different…

Purpose: For colocated targets and maskers, binaural listening typically offers a small but significant advantage over monaural listening. This study investigated how monaural asymmetry and target--masker similarity may limit binaural advantage in adults and children. Method: Ten Mandarin-speaking Chinese adults (aged 22-27 years) and 12 children…

It is essential to recognize the strengths and talents of autistic individuals. Previous studies of extraordinary talents (i.e. skills that stand out relative to the general population) have combined individuals with different skills (e.g. calendrical calculation, drawing) into one group. There has been limited investigation of talents in specific…

Background: Inconsistencies are found regarding the relationship between academic achievement and visual-motor integration (VMI), gender and socio-economic status (SES). Aim: The study examined the associations between academic achievement in different compulsory learning areas and VMI skills, and what role gender and SES play. Setting: A total of…

Local and global visual processing abilities and processing style were investigated in individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) versus typically developing individuals, children versus adolescents and boys versus girls. Individuals with ASD displayed more attention to detail in daily life, while laboratory tasks showed slightly reduced…

Attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a prevalent disorder affecting about 5% of children reported to be linked with poor academic, social and occupational outcomes. The aim of the study was to test the visuo-motor performance of children with ADHD. The Design Copying subtest (NEPSY-II) was used to test visuo-motor functions. A total…

Central Auditory Processing Disorder (CAPD) refers to difficulties in perceptual processing of auditory information. It is a difficulty experienced by a person whose pure tone hearing, intelligence, and language abilities are within the appropriate age norms. In children with CAPD, difficulty in spelling and reading loudly can also be observed.…

Purpose: Children with (central) auditory processing disorder [(C)APD] exhibit many cognitive difficulties and receive negative psychosocial consequences from their disorder. Diagnosis of (C)APD relies on multidisciplinary assessment, including psychological testing. There is a strong need for valid and reliable questionnaires to identify children…

Purpose: Relative to normally hearing (NH) peers, the speech of children with cochlear implants (CIs) has been found to have deviations such as a high fundamental frequency, elevated jitter and shimmer, and inadequate intonation. However, two important dimensions of prosody (temporal and spectral) have not been systematically investigated. Given…