Rosalie Elizabeth Seymour
Retired Speech and Language Therapist and Audiologist, UK
Title: Can evidence inform intervention? Reporting on research into auditory processing disorders in children with ASD – considering whether research into auditory integration training and filtered sound training has relevance
Biography
Biography: Rosalie Elizabeth Seymour
Abstract
Since the 1980’s there has been an acceleration of interest by neuroscientists in the Auditory Problems of Children with ASD. The focus of study has largely shifted from attempting a differential diagnosis between the symptoms of ASD and of Auditory Processing Disorder (APD), towards an improved understanding of APD and its impact on the lives and wellness of people with this disorder. A large amount of research data has accumulated, and sheds light on the manner in which auditory brain potentials of children with ASD differ from those of the neurotypical learner. This presentation will offer a summarised overview of this data, and will discuss how this body of evidence is informing and directing our intervention strategies, both clinical and educational. The presenter will further summarise the most recently published research papers on the impact of Auditory Integration Training (AIT)– the Berard Method (also named Filtered Sound Training - FST), as well as my own two unpublished research projects. The statistical significance or otherwise of this intervention on the auditory problems of children with ASD will be discussed, as well as the unexpected discoveries. Many of these have brought new insights into the breadth of the impact of auditory processing problems on the social, emotional, learning, language and well-being of children with ASD.