These CU Ā鶹¹ŁĶų-developed tools provide a way of preparing children with autism spectrum disorder to get their hearing testedāsaving time and a whole lot of stress
For children with autism, getting diagnosed can be a struggle in and of itself. But new tools developed by audiologists at the Ā鶹¹ŁĶų may help.
These new materials, which are the first widely accessible tools of their kind and are highlighted in the American Journal of Audiology, provide a way for parents or clinicians to communicate to children through pictures and videos what they are about to experience. The researchers hope that incorporating them will reduce the child and familyās stress and increase the chances that audiologists will obtain a reliable and comprehensive audiological examāwhich is one of the first steps towards a reliable diagnosis.
And these materials wonāt just help the thousands of children diagnosed with autism each year. They could help children with any number of developmental delays.
āThe World Health Organization specifically says that itās a human right to be able to communicate. And for some children with Autism Spectrum Disorder, they donāt communicate with auditory oral communication,ā said Angela Bonino, an assistant professor in speech, language and hearing sciences, a clinically trained pediatric audiologist and one of the authors of the paper.
āThis provides an audiologist another strategy and type of tool to help facilitate communication with that patient to make sure that that child is also hopefully understanding what types of medical services are going to be provided to them.ā
In the United States alone, about 1 in 59 children is diagnosed each year with Autism Spectrum Disorder, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Preventionāand that number has been rising every year since record-keeping began.
For these children, one of the first signs that something may be wrong is the challenges the child may be facing with delays in communication. That means that, according to the CU Ā鶹¹ŁĶų researchers, parents may first turn to the people who know hearing best to see if thatās the culprit: audiologists.
To get a proper hearing assessment or diagnosis, it can sometimes take multiple trips to an audiologist. For childrenāparticularly those with some sort of developmental disabilityāthose trips can be stressful. This can, in turn, slow down their diagnosis or even affect the results of the hearing test.
And thatās a problem, says researchers.
āItās very important to make sure that their hearing test results are accurate and reliable and that we get a full understanding of their hearing,ā said Haley McTee, an audiology graduate student and the lead author on the paper.
There is already clinically proven research proving the worth of visual and video support in testing children with autism or who are suspected of having autism. So, the researchers wondered: Could the same thing be applied in an audiological setting?
Itās very important to make sure that their hearing test results are accurate and reliable and that we get a full understanding of their hearing."
The team created two sets of diagnostic toolsāvideo models (videos that can show children what they are about to experience) and visual schedules (matching laminated print outs)āthat showcase eight children of diverse backgrounds, ranging in age from 4 to 12 years old.
While the materials themselves have yet to be fully tested, the researchers expect that they should help address the communication barrier faced by children with autism.
This research is part of the LEND (Leadership Education in Neurodevelopmental Disabilities) fellowship program, an interdisciplinary five-year training program for audiology graduate students. The goal of the program, which is , is to improve the health of those with disabilities, with a focus on infants, children and adolescents.
As part of the fellowship, students have to complete a project related to a developmental issue in audiology, with the theme this cycle being Autism Spectrum Disorder.
These materials, which were developed by this cycleās LEND fellows, including McTee, . However, the researchers still recommend contacting an audiologist if you have any concerns.
āI think itās important to always communicate the best way you can with all of your patients,ā said McTee. āFor different languages, that means using interpreters ā¦ The video models Iāve created just assist in that communication gap for these kids.ā