Auditory processing and auditory rehabilitation approaches in autism

Concerning the prevalence of autism spectrum disorder, many studies have examined the various aspects of this disorder. One of the major problems in autism is the sensory processing deficit, and in particular the abnormalities of auditory processing. In this review article, we have tried to explain the neurological features of auditory processing and abnormalities in auditory evoked responses in autism, finally recount some of the main methods of auditory rehabilitation. We searched for articles in databases with keywords of “autism,” “auditory processing” and “auditory rehabilitation.” A total of 102 articles were initially found in this field. Some articles were not about our study topic, thus in the end, only 79 articles were entered the study published from 1989 to 2018. Based on these studies, autism associates with a weakness in sensory integration due to abnormal interactions between different neural networks. This condition of auditory modality are being manifested as different abnormalities in evoked responses, especially for complex stimuli at the level of the brainstem and cortex. Language and speech problems are prevalent in many patients with autism, which has already been mentioned in numerous studies. To treat these deficits, appropriate auditory rehabilitation techniques (often using music to improve the symptoms) have been developed. In order to know more about autism and adopt appropriate interventions, doing audiometric, behavioral and electrophysiological evaluations are recommended on a regular basis. Rehabilitation in this disorder generally include music therapy, signal-to-noise enhancement strategies, and cognitive behavioral therapies.