Effects of attention deficits on the auditory processing performance among normal and APD children

• Main Authors: Sulaiman, Nur Hafizah, Dzulkarnain, Ahmad Aidil Arafat, Maamor, Nashrah, Rahmat, Sarah
• Format: Conference or Workshop Item
• Language: English; English; English
• Published: 2021
• Subjects: RF Otorhinolaryngology
• Online Access: http://irep.iium.edu.my/94988/1/Poster1abstract-book.pdf; http://irep.iium.edu.my/94988/2/Poster1_Hafizah.Draft%203.FINAL.pdf; http://irep.iium.edu.my/94988/3/for-website-BAA-programme.pdf; http://irep.iium.edu.my/94988/
• Institution: Universiti Islam Antarabangsa Malaysia

Introduction: In a recent decade, the experts and audiology professional bodies across the world started to consider the involvement of top-down processing of higher-order cognitive functions, particularly attention, as a part of Auditory Processing Disorder (APD). Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the extension of the effect of attention on auditory processing performance among normal and APD children, particularly in the event that attention deficits also identified together with APD. Methods: This study was conducted among 94 normal hearing children, aged from 8 to 12 years old, with normal intelligence quotient (IQ) and working memory. These children were divided into normal and APD group based on their performance on five APD assessments. The children in each group were further categorized into three sub-groups based on their attention status that was assessed through SNAP-IV questionnaire, which are; i) normal attention; ii) suspected with attention deficit disorder (ADD); and iii) suspected with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Results: This study observed a reduction in performance on four APD assessments among normal and APD children with attention deficits, which are; i) dichotic digit test; ii) gap-in-noise test; iii) pitch pattern sequence test and iv) digit triplet test. No significant reduction was observed on masking level difference test performance. The reduction in APD test performance due to attention deficit was more pronounce among APD children compared to normal children. Discussion: Consistent with literatures, the effect of attention deficits on the APD test performance in both groups of children indicates the important role of attention in modulating the auditory processing system. The reduction in the performance that was more pronounce among APD children indicates the presence of attention deficit exacerbate the difficulty in auditory processing. As attention has an effect on auditory processing, attention assessment should be considered as a part of APD assessment in the future.