Occurrence of Auditory Processing Changes in Children with Learning Disorder

Abstract

Objective: Evaluate the occurrence of changes in Central Auditory Processing in children with Learning Disorder.Methods: Descriptive, cross-sectional, retrospective study was perfomerd at the Phoniatrics medical outpatient of the Otorhinolaryngology Sector of Bettina Ferro de Souza University Hospital of the Federal University of Pará with 98 children enrolled from 5 to 12 years with Learning Disorders, without neurological, cognitive or visual alterations and with normal audiometric tests, who were submitted to behavioral tests of auditory processing: Speech with White Noise, Nonverbal Dichotic, Sentence Recognition in Competitive Message, Dichotic Digits, Alternate Dissyllable Dichotic (SSW - Staggered Spondaic Words to portuguese) and RGDT (Random Gap Detection Test). Results: 69.4% were males and the age group most affected was 11-12 years (39.8%). All children had at least one of the auditory processing tests altered. Results were significantly altered in the tests: Nonverbal Dichotic (60.2% in free attention, 56.1% in attention to the right and 58.2% in attention to the left); Dichotic of Digits (62.2% in right ear and 75.5% in the left ear); RGDT (68.4%); quantitative SSW (63,% in the right ear and 64.3% in the left ear) and qualitative SSW (27.6% order effect low/high). They obtained predominantly normal results in the tests: Speech with white noise (70.4%); Sentence Recognition in Competitive Message (0db ratio signal-to-noise: 65.5% in the right ear and 84.5% in the left ear). Conclusion: Children with Learning Disorder presented alterations in auditory processing and should be mapped to a better understanding and direction of individualized rehabilitation.