Auditory discrimination in children with Autism using the magnetic Acoustic Change Complex (mACC)
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1
Centre for Cognition and its Disorders, Macquarie University, Cognitive Science, Australia
Studies of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) using the mismatch negativity (MMN) paradigm have suggested impaired discrimination of sounds, which might explain the language impairment associated with the disorder. However, closer inspection shows that the findings have been very mixed. Studies have found ASD groups to have slower, faster, weaker, stronger, and occasionally typical MMNs to sounds. This may in part be due to the low reliability of the MMN response. The Acoustic Change Complex (ACC) has been suggested as an alternative change detection paradigm. It comprises a P1-N2 obligatory response to changes in a continuous sound and is thus considered a purer measure of auditory discrimination. In a recent MEG study with adults, we found that the magnetic ACC (mACC) paradigm elicited discrimination responses with better signal-to-noise ratio, and is more time-efficient than the magnetic MMN. The aim of this study was to use the mACC to clarify the auditory processing impairments in ASD and to link findings to individual differences in language ability.
41 age-matched children (5 - 14 years old) with and without ASD participated in this MEG study where they passively listened to semi-synthesized speech sounds while watching a silent DVD. The mACC stimuli produced three responses - to the Onset of a sound, to Pitch changes within the sound, and to vowel changes from /e/ to /u/. Data were analysed at source and sensor level to clarify whether detection or discrimination were impaired or enhanced in ASD, and also whether differences in vowel and pitch changes were related to language impairment within the ASD group.
Our findings indicate that while Onset responses were comparable in typically developing and ASD children, ASD children showed significantly lower mACC (discrimination) responses. Findings will be discussed in terms of the relationship between auditory discrimination (as measured on the mACC) and language ability in children with ASD.
Keywords:
Language,
autism,
MEG,
Child,
auditory processing
Conference:
XII International Conference on Cognitive Neuroscience (ICON-XII), Brisbane, Queensland, Australia, 27 Jul - 31 Jul, 2014.
Presentation Type:
Poster
Topic:
Sensation and Perception
Citation:
Yau
S,
McArthur
G and
Brock
J
(2015). Auditory discrimination in children with Autism using the magnetic Acoustic Change Complex (mACC).
Conference Abstract:
XII International Conference on Cognitive Neuroscience (ICON-XII).
doi: 10.3389/conf.fnhum.2015.217.00359
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Received:
19 Feb 2015;
Published Online:
24 Apr 2015.
*
Correspondence:
Ms. Shu Hui Yau, Centre for Cognition and its Disorders, Macquarie University, Cognitive Science, Sydney, Australia, shu.yau@mq.edu.au