Auditory processing, attention and memory in school aged children with listening difficulties in noise

In this research we aimed to investigate auditory processing, attention and memory skills in children (10-15 years) with persistent listening difficulties in background noise despite having clinically normal hearing sensitivity. We conducted 3 studies in this research project. Study 1 was aimed to design or modify tasks to assess selected auditory processing abilities that are considered important for listening in noise but not routinely assessed in clinics. In study 2 we designed a novel task to examine the auditory selective attention and attention switching ability. Auditory processing ability was also assessed using a set of clinically recommended as well as the additional tasks designed in the study 1. The results were suggestive of poor attention switching and inhibitory control ability in the LD group. In the study 3, we invited more children with listening difficulties in background noise (LD group; n=21) and assessed them in three phases. First, we examined their attention switching ability using the task designed in the second study. The results were consistent with those in the early study. Secondly, we tested them on a set of recommended clinical tests to identify the presence of an auditory processing disorder (APD). The results indicated that five children could be diagnosed with APD (APD group) and were considered separately for further comparisons. Lastly, we evaluated both the LD and APD groups on additional tasks to examine their auditory processing as well as short term and working memory ability and found poor frequency resolution and working memory skills for the APD group. In summary, all the children who reported with listening difficulties in noise showed deficits in their attention switching and inhibitory control ability which may suggest a possible top down (central) information processing deficit in these children.