Central Auditory Processing Disorders in Individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorders

Abstract

The etiology and the underlying pathogenetic mechanisms of autismspectrum disorders are still largely unknown. This article provides acomprehensive review of the studies that are relevant to autism spectrumdisorders and central auditory processing disorders and also discussesthe relationship between autism spectrum disorders and central auditoryprocessing disorders in the light of recent studies on this subject, whichmay provide new pathways in a therapeutic perspective. Several studiesconfirm that most of the individuals with an autism spectrum disorder havesome degree of sensory dysfunction related to disorders of processingauditory, visual, vestibular, and/or tactile stimuli. Among these studies,some have addressed central auditory processing disorders. There is anincreasing amount of effort for studies regarding the link between autismspectrum disorders and central auditory processing disorders. Most of thestudies investigating central auditory processing disorders in patients withautism spectrum disorders have used electrophysiological measurementssuch as mismatch negativity and P300 event-related potentials. Inaddition to these, several studies have reported deterioration in speechperception and expression in patients with autism spectrum disorders,which may also be related to central auditory processing disorders in thisunique group of individuals.