Assessment of suprathreshold auditory processing skills in children with specific learning disorder

Karakoc, K., Assessment of Suprathresold Auditory Processing Skills in Children with Specific Learning Disorder, Hacettepe University Graduate School of Health Sciences, Audiology Program, Master Thesis, Ankara, 2020. It has been reported that the reasons for the learning difficulties and the struggling of academic skills of children with specific learning disorder (SLD) may be impaired in processing the associated auditory cues of complex sound stimuli. In this study, it was aimed to evaluate suprathresold auditory processing and speech recognition in noise ability of children who have specific learning disorder, and to compare the relationship with normal children, and to examine the relationship between suprathresold auditory processing, speech recognition in noise and intelligence test scores. In accordance with this purpose; in the study group consisted of 25 children diagnosed with specific learning disorder in the age range of 6-11, and the control group consisted of 25 normal children in the age range of 6-11. Temporal Fine Structure (TFS) Sensitivity Test and Temporal Envelope (TE) Sensitivity Test were used to assess the children's suprathresold auditory processing skills and Consonant Identification Test was used to evaluate speech recognition in noise skills in the children who have specific learning disorder. In addition, the Wechsler Intelligence for Children Scale - Fourth Edition (WISC-IV) test was applied to the children diagnosed with specific learning disorder, and the relationship between suprathreshold auditory processing and speech recognition in noise skills were examined. As a result of the study, a significant difference was found between the children diagnosed with specific learning disorder and the normal children in the suprathreshold auditory processing tests and speech recognition in noise (p <0.05). In addition to that, there was no correlation between suprathreshold auditory processing tests and speech recognition in noise test and intelligence tests. In the results of our findings, it was observed that children with specific learning disorder were affected by their ability to suprathreshold auditory processing and speech recognition in noise. It is concluded that a holistic assessment approach is needed to the children diagnosed with specific learning disorder, including their ability of suprathresold auditory processing and speech recognition in noise. Keywords: Specific learning disorder, suprathresold auditory processing, speech recognition in noise, temporal fine structure, temporal envelope.