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Yerkes BD, Vanden Bosch der Nederlanden CM, Beasley JF, Hannon EE, Snyder JS. Acoustic and Semantic Processing of Auditory Scenes in Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders. J Autism Dev Disord 2024; 54:2536-2551. [PMID: 37140745 PMCID: PMC11286646 DOI: 10.1007/s10803-023-05924-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 02/06/2023] [Indexed: 05/05/2023]
Abstract
PURPOSE Processing real-world sounds requires acoustic and higher-order semantic information. We tested the theory that individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) show enhanced processing of acoustic features and impaired processing of semantic information. METHODS We used a change deafness task that required detection of speech and non-speech auditory objects being replaced and a speech-in-noise task using spoken sentences that must be comprehended in the presence of background speech to examine the extent to which 7-15 year old children with ASD (n = 27) rely on acoustic and semantic information, compared to age-matched (n = 27) and IQ-matched (n = 27) groups of typically developing (TD) children. Within a larger group of 7-15 year old TD children (n = 105) we correlated IQ, ASD symptoms, and the use of acoustic and semantic information. RESULTS Children with ASD performed worse overall at the change deafness task relative to the age-matched TD controls, but they did not differ from IQ-matched controls. All groups utilized acoustic and semantic information similarly and displayed an attentional bias towards changes that involved the human voice. Similarly, for the speech-in-noise task, age-matched-but not IQ-matched-TD controls performed better overall than the ASD group. However, all groups used semantic context to a similar degree. Among TD children, neither IQ nor the presence of ASD symptoms predict the use of acoustic or semantic information. CONCLUSION Children with and without ASD used acoustic and semantic information similarly during auditory change deafness and speech-in-noise tasks.
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Affiliation(s)
- Breanne D Yerkes
- Department of Psychology, University of Nevada, Las Vegas, Las Vegas, NV, USA
| | | | - Julie F Beasley
- Ackerman Center for Autism and Neurodevelopment Solutions, Kirk Kerkorian School of Medicine, University of Nevada, Las Vegas, Las Vegas, NV, USA
| | - Erin E Hannon
- Department of Psychology, University of Nevada, Las Vegas, Las Vegas, NV, USA
| | - Joel S Snyder
- Department of Psychology, University of Nevada, Las Vegas, Las Vegas, NV, USA.
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Zhao C, Ong JH, Veic A, Patel AD, Jiang C, Fogel AR, Wang L, Hou Q, Das D, Crasto C, Chakrabarti B, Williams TI, Loutrari A, Liu F. Predictive processing of music and language in autism: Evidence from Mandarin and English speakers. Autism Res 2024; 17:1230-1257. [PMID: 38651566 DOI: 10.1002/aur.3133] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/26/2023] [Accepted: 04/01/2024] [Indexed: 04/25/2024]
Abstract
Atypical predictive processing has been associated with autism across multiple domains, based mainly on artificial antecedents and consequents. As structured sequences where expectations derive from implicit learning of combinatorial principles, language and music provide naturalistic stimuli for investigating predictive processing. In this study, we matched melodic and sentence stimuli in cloze probabilities and examined musical and linguistic prediction in Mandarin- (Experiment 1) and English-speaking (Experiment 2) autistic and non-autistic individuals using both production and perception tasks. In the production tasks, participants listened to unfinished melodies/sentences and then produced the final notes/words to complete these items. In the perception tasks, participants provided expectedness ratings of the completed melodies/sentences based on the most frequent notes/words in the norms. While Experiment 1 showed intact musical prediction but atypical linguistic prediction in autism in the Mandarin sample that demonstrated imbalanced musical training experience and receptive vocabulary skills between groups, the group difference disappeared in a more closely matched sample of English speakers in Experiment 2. These findings suggest the importance of taking an individual differences approach when investigating predictive processing in music and language in autism, as the difficulty in prediction in autism may not be due to generalized problems with prediction in any type of complex sequence processing.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chen Zhao
- School of Psychology and Clinical Language Sciences, University of Reading, Reading, UK
| | - Jia Hoong Ong
- School of Psychology and Clinical Language Sciences, University of Reading, Reading, UK
| | - Anamarija Veic
- School of Psychology and Clinical Language Sciences, University of Reading, Reading, UK
| | - Aniruddh D Patel
- Department of Psychology, Tufts University, Medford, Massachusetts, USA
- Program in Brain, Mind, and Consciousness, Canadian Institute for Advanced Research (CIFAR), Toronto, Canada
| | - Cunmei Jiang
- Music College, Shanghai Normal University, Shanghai, China
| | - Allison R Fogel
- Department of Psychology, Tufts University, Medford, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Li Wang
- School of Psychology and Clinical Language Sciences, University of Reading, Reading, UK
| | - Qingqi Hou
- Department of Music and Dance, Nanjing Normal University of Special Education, Nanjing, China
| | - Dipsikha Das
- School of Psychology, Keele University, Staffordshire, UK
| | - Cara Crasto
- School of Psychology and Clinical Language Sciences, University of Reading, Reading, UK
| | - Bhismadev Chakrabarti
- School of Psychology and Clinical Language Sciences, University of Reading, Reading, UK
| | - Tim I Williams
- School of Psychology and Clinical Language Sciences, University of Reading, Reading, UK
| | - Ariadne Loutrari
- School of Psychology and Clinical Language Sciences, University of Reading, Reading, UK
| | - Fang Liu
- School of Psychology and Clinical Language Sciences, University of Reading, Reading, UK
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Dahary H, Rimmer C, Quintin EM. Musical Beat Perception Skills of Autistic and Neurotypical Children. J Autism Dev Disord 2024; 54:1453-1467. [PMID: 36635432 DOI: 10.1007/s10803-022-05864-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 12/06/2022] [Indexed: 01/14/2023]
Abstract
Many autistic children show musical interests and good musical skills including pitch and melodic memory. Autistic children may also perceive temporal regularities in music such as the primary beat underlying the rhythmic structure of music given some work showing preserved rhythm processing in the context of basic, nonverbal auditory stimuli. The temporal regularity and prediction of musical beats can potentially serve as an excellent framework for building skills in non-musical areas of growth for autistic children. We examine if autistic children are perceptually sensitive to the primary beat of music by comparing the musical beat perception skills of autistic and neurotypical children. Twenty-three autistic children and 23 neurotypical children aged 6-13 years with no group differences in chronological age and verbal and nonverbal mental ages completed a musical beat perception task where they identified whether beeps superimposed on musical excerpts were on or off the musical beat. Overall task performance was above the theoretical chance threshold of 50% but not the statistical chance threshold of 70% across groups. On-beat (versus off-beat) accuracy was higher for the autistic group but not the neurotypical group. The autistic group was just as accurate at detecting beat alignments (on-beat) but less precise at detecting beat misalignments (off-beat) compared to the neurotypical group. Perceptual sensitivity to beat alignments provides support for spared music processing among autistic children and informs on the accessibility of using musical beats and rhythm for cultivating related skills and behaviours (e.g., language and motor abilities).
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Affiliation(s)
- Hadas Dahary
- Department of Educational and Counselling Psychology, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada
- Centre for Research on Brain, Language and Music, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada
- Azrieli Centre for Autism Research, Montreal Neurological Institute, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada
| | - Charlotte Rimmer
- Department of Educational and Counselling Psychology, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada
- Centre for Research on Brain, Language and Music, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada
| | - Eve-Marie Quintin
- Department of Educational and Counselling Psychology, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada.
- Centre for Research on Brain, Language and Music, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada.
- Azrieli Centre for Autism Research, Montreal Neurological Institute, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada.
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Ong JH, Zhao C, Bacon A, Leung FYN, Veic A, Wang L, Jiang C, Liu F. The Relationship Between Autism and Pitch Perception is Modulated by Cognitive Abilities. J Autism Dev Disord 2023:10.1007/s10803-023-06075-7. [PMID: 37642868 DOI: 10.1007/s10803-023-06075-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 07/20/2023] [Indexed: 08/31/2023]
Abstract
Previous studies reported mixed findings on autistic individuals' pitch perception relative to neurotypical (NT) individuals. We investigated whether this may be partly due to individual differences in cognitive abilities by comparing their performance on various pitch perception tasks on a large sample (n = 164) of autistic and NT children and adults. Our findings revealed that: (i) autistic individuals either showed similar or worse performance than NT individuals on the pitch tasks; (ii) cognitive abilities were associated with some pitch task performance; and (iii) cognitive abilities modulated the relationship between autism diagnosis and pitch perception on some tasks. Our findings highlight the importance of taking an individual differences approach to understand the strengths and weaknesses of pitch processing in autism.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jia Hoong Ong
- School of Psychology and Clinical Language Sciences, University of Reading, Reading, UK
- Department of Psychology, School of Social Sciences, Nottingham Trent University, Nottingham, UK
| | - Chen Zhao
- School of Psychology and Clinical Language Sciences, University of Reading, Reading, UK
| | - Alex Bacon
- School of Psychology and Clinical Language Sciences, University of Reading, Reading, UK
| | | | - Anamarija Veic
- School of Psychology and Clinical Language Sciences, University of Reading, Reading, UK
| | - Li Wang
- School of Psychology and Clinical Language Sciences, University of Reading, Reading, UK
| | - Cunmei Jiang
- Music College, Shanghai Normal University, Shanghai, China
| | - Fang Liu
- School of Psychology and Clinical Language Sciences, University of Reading, Reading, UK.
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Demopoulos C, Skiba SA, Kopald BE, Bangera N, Paulson K, Lewine JD. Associations between rapid auditory processing of speech sounds and specific verbal communication skills in autism. Front Psychol 2023; 14:1223250. [PMID: 37663330 PMCID: PMC10470870 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1223250] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/15/2023] [Accepted: 07/26/2023] [Indexed: 09/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Introduction The ability to rapidly process speech sounds is integral not only for processing other's speech, but also for auditory processing of one's own speech, which allows for maintenance of speech accuracy. Deficits in rapid auditory processing have been demonstrated in autistic individuals, particularly those with language impairment. We examined rapid auditory processing for speech sounds in relation to performance on a battery of verbal communication measures to determine which aspects of verbal communication were associated with cortical auditory processing in a sample of individuals with autism. Methods Participants were 57 children and adolescents (40 male and 17 female) ages 5-18 who were diagnosed with an Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). Rapid auditory processing of speech sounds was measured via a magnetoencephalographic (MEG) index of the quality of the auditory evoked response to the second of two differing speech sounds ("Ga" / "Da") presented in rapid succession. Verbal communication abilities were assessed on standardized clinical measures of overall expressive and receptive language, vocabulary, articulation, and phonological processing. Associations between cortical measures of left- and right-hemisphere rapid auditory processing and verbal communication measures were examined. Results Rapid auditory processing of speech sounds was significantly associated with speech articulation bilaterally (r = 0.463, p = 0.001 for left hemisphere and r = 0.328, p = 0.020 for right hemisphere). In addition, rapid auditory processing in the left hemisphere was significantly associated with overall expressive language abilities (r = 0.354, p = 0.013); expressive (r = 0.384, p = 0.005) vocabulary; and phonological memory (r = 0.325, p = 0.024). Phonological memory was found to mediate the relationship between rapid cortical processing and receptive language. Discussion These results demonstrate that impaired rapid auditory processing for speech sounds is associated with dysfunction in verbal communication in ASD. The data also indicate that intact rapid auditory processing may be necessary for even basic communication skills that support speech production, such as phonological memory and articulatory control.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carly Demopoulos
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, United States
- Department of Radiology and Biomedical Imaging, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, United States
| | - Sara A. Skiba
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, United States
- Ape Cognition and Conservation Initiative (Ape Initiative), Des Moines, IA, United States
| | - Brandon E. Kopald
- Department of Neurology, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, United States
| | - Nitin Bangera
- Mind Research Network, Albuquerque, NM, United States
| | - Kim Paulson
- Mind Research Network, Albuquerque, NM, United States
| | - Jeffrey David Lewine
- Mind Research Network, Albuquerque, NM, United States
- Departments of Psychology and Neurology, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM, United States
- Center for Advanced Diagnostics, Evaluation and Therapeutics, CADET-NM, Albuquerque, NM, United States
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Demopoulos C, Kopald BE, Bangera N, Paulson K, David Lewine J. Rapid auditory processing of puretones is associated with basic components of language in individuals with autism spectrum disorders. BRAIN AND LANGUAGE 2023; 238:105229. [PMID: 36753824 PMCID: PMC10029928 DOI: 10.1016/j.bandl.2023.105229] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/23/2022] [Revised: 12/08/2022] [Accepted: 01/13/2023] [Indexed: 06/18/2023]
Abstract
The goal of this study was to identify the specific domains of language that may be affected by deficits in rapid auditory processing in individuals with ASD. Auditory evoked fields were collected from 63 children diagnosed with ASD in order to evaluate processing of puretone sounds presented in rapid succession. Measures of language and its components were assessed via standardized clinical tools to quantify expressive and receptive language, vocabulary, articulation, and phonological processing abilities. Rapid processing was significantly and bilaterally associated with phonological awareness, vocabulary, and articulation. Phonological processing was found to mediate the relationship between rapid processing and language. M100 response latency was not significantly associated with any language measures. Results suggest that rapid processing deficits may impact the basic components of language such as phonological processing, and the downstream effect of this impact may in turn impact overall language development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carly Demopoulos
- University of California-San Francisco, Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences, 675 18th Street, San Francisco, CA 94107, United States; University of California-San Francisco, Department of Radiology & Biomedical Imaging, 513 Parnassus Avenue, S362, San Francisco, CA 94143, United States.
| | - Brandon E Kopald
- University of California-San Francisco, Department of Neurology, 675 Nelson Rising, Lane, San Francisco, CA 94143, United States
| | - Nitin Bangera
- Mind Research Network, Pete & Nancy Domenici Hall, 1101 Yale Blvd. NE, Albuquerque, NM 87106, United States; Center for Advanced Diagnostics, Evaluation and Therapeutics, CADET-NM, 1501 Indian School, NE, Albuquerque, NM 87102, United States
| | - Kim Paulson
- Mind Research Network, Pete & Nancy Domenici Hall, 1101 Yale Blvd. NE, Albuquerque, NM 87106, United States
| | - Jeffrey David Lewine
- Mind Research Network, Pete & Nancy Domenici Hall, 1101 Yale Blvd. NE, Albuquerque, NM 87106, United States; Center for Advanced Diagnostics, Evaluation and Therapeutics, CADET-NM, 1501 Indian School, NE, Albuquerque, NM 87102, United States; University of New Mexico, Departments of Psychology and Neurology, 1 University Blvd. NE, Albuquerque, NM 87031, United States.
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Sivathasan S, Dahary H, Burack JA, Quintin EM. Basic emotion recognition of children on the autism spectrum is enhanced in music and typical for faces and voices. PLoS One 2023; 18:e0279002. [PMID: 36630376 PMCID: PMC9833514 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0279002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/22/2022] [Accepted: 11/28/2022] [Indexed: 01/12/2023] Open
Abstract
In contrast with findings of reduced facial and vocal emotional recognition (ER) accuracy, children on the autism spectrum (AS) demonstrate comparable ER skills to those of typically-developing (TD) children using music. To understand the specificity of purported ER differences, the goal of this study was to examine ER from music compared with faces and voices among children on the AS and TD children. Twenty-five children on the AS and 23 TD children (6-13 years) completed an ER task, using categorical (happy, sad, fear) and dimensional (valence, arousal) ratings, of emotions presented via music, faces, or voices. Compared to the TD group, the AS group showed a relative ER strength from music, and comparable performance from faces and voices. Although both groups demonstrated greater vocal ER accuracy, the children on the AS performed equally well with music and faces, whereas the TD children performed better with faces than with music. Both groups performed comparably with dimensional ratings, except for greater variability by the children on the AS in valence ratings for happy emotions. These findings highlight a need to re-examine ER of children on the AS, and to consider how facilitating strengths-based approaches can re-shape our thinking about and support for persons on the AS.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shalini Sivathasan
- Department of Educational and Counselling Psychology, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
- Azrieli Centre for Autism Research, Montreal Neurological Institute, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
- Center for Research on Music, Brain, and Language, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
| | - Hadas Dahary
- Department of Educational and Counselling Psychology, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
- Azrieli Centre for Autism Research, Montreal Neurological Institute, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
- Center for Research on Music, Brain, and Language, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
| | - Jacob A. Burack
- Department of Educational and Counselling Psychology, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
- Azrieli Centre for Autism Research, Montreal Neurological Institute, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
| | - Eve-Marie Quintin
- Department of Educational and Counselling Psychology, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
- Azrieli Centre for Autism Research, Montreal Neurological Institute, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
- Center for Research on Music, Brain, and Language, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
- * E-mail:
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Chen Y, Tang E, Ding H, Zhang Y. Auditory Pitch Perception in Autism Spectrum Disorder: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. JOURNAL OF SPEECH, LANGUAGE, AND HEARING RESEARCH : JSLHR 2022; 65:4866-4886. [PMID: 36450443 DOI: 10.1044/2022_jslhr-22-00254] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/17/2023]
Abstract
PURPOSE Pitch plays an important role in auditory perception of music and language. This study provides a systematic review with meta-analysis to investigate whether individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) have enhanced pitch processing ability and to identify the potential factors associated with processing differences between ASD and neurotypicals. METHOD We conducted a systematic search through six major electronic databases focusing on the studies that used nonspeech stimuli to provide a qualitative and quantitative assessment across existing studies on pitch perception in autism. We identified potential participant- and methodology-related moderators and conducted metaregression analyses using mixed-effects models. RESULTS On the basis of 22 studies with a total of 464 participants with ASD, we obtained a small-to-medium positive effect size (g = 0.26) in support of enhanced pitch perception in ASD. Moreover, the mean age and nonverbal IQ of participants were found to significantly moderate the between-studies heterogeneity. CONCLUSIONS Our study provides the first meta-analysis on auditory pitch perception in ASD and demonstrates the existence of different developmental trajectories between autistic individuals and neurotypicals. In addition to age, nonverbal ability is found to be a significant contributor to the lower level/local processing bias in ASD. We highlight the need for further investigation of pitch perception in ASD under challenging listening conditions. Future neurophysiological and brain imaging studies with a longitudinal design are also needed to better understand the underlying neural mechanisms of atypical pitch processing in ASD and to help guide auditory-based interventions for improving language and social functioning. SUPPLEMENTAL MATERIAL https://doi.org/10.23641/asha.21614271.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yu Chen
- Speech-Language-Hearing Center, School of Foreign Languages, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, China
| | - Enze Tang
- Speech-Language-Hearing Center, School of Foreign Languages, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, China
| | - Hongwei Ding
- Speech-Language-Hearing Center, School of Foreign Languages, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, China
| | - Yang Zhang
- Department of Speech-Language-Hearing Sciences and Masonic Institute for the Developing Brain, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis
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Wang L, Ong JH, Ponsot E, Hou Q, Jiang C, Liu F. Mental representations of speech and musical pitch contours reveal a diversity of profiles in autism spectrum disorder. AUTISM : THE INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF RESEARCH AND PRACTICE 2022; 27:629-646. [PMID: 35848413 PMCID: PMC10074762 DOI: 10.1177/13623613221111207] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
LAY ABSTRACT As a key auditory attribute of sounds, pitch is ubiquitous in our everyday listening experience involving language, music and environmental sounds. Given its critical role in auditory processing related to communication, numerous studies have investigated pitch processing in autism spectrum disorder. However, the findings have been mixed, reporting either enhanced, typical or impaired performance among autistic individuals. By investigating top-down comparisons of internal mental representations of pitch contours in speech and music, this study shows for the first time that, while autistic individuals exhibit diverse profiles of pitch processing compared to non-autistic individuals, their mental representations of pitch contours are typical across domains. These findings suggest that pitch-processing mechanisms are shared across domains in autism spectrum disorder and provide theoretical implications for using music to improve speech for those autistic individuals who have language problems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Li Wang
- University of Reading, UK.,The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong
| | | | | | - Qingqi Hou
- Nanjing Normal University of Special Education, China
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Strong Relationship Between Rapid Auditory Processing and Affective Prosody Recognition Among Adults with High Autistic Traits. J Autism Dev Disord 2022:10.1007/s10803-022-05600-4. [PMID: 35654923 DOI: 10.1007/s10803-022-05600-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 05/01/2022] [Indexed: 10/18/2022]
Abstract
This study investigated whether individuals with high autistic traits rely on psychoacoustic abilities in affective prosody recognition (APR). In 94 college students, Autism Spectrum Quotient (AQ) and psychoacoustic abilities were measured. Results indicated that higher AQ, higher rapid auditory processing (RAP), and maleness were associated with a lower APR accuracy for low-intensity prosodies. There was a strong positive association between RAP and APR for participants with high AQ, whereas low-AQ participants showed no such pattern. The findings suggest a reliance on psychoacoustic abilities as compensatory mechanism for deficits in higher-order processing of emotional signals in social interactions, and imply potential benefits of auditory interventions in improving APR among individuals with high autistic traits.
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Ramirez-Melendez R, Matamoros E, Hernandez D, Mirabel J, Sanchez E, Escude N. Music-Enhanced Emotion Identification of Facial Emotions in Autistic Spectrum Disorder Children: A Pilot EEG Study. Brain Sci 2022; 12:brainsci12060704. [PMID: 35741590 PMCID: PMC9221118 DOI: 10.3390/brainsci12060704] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/12/2022] [Revised: 05/18/2022] [Accepted: 05/19/2022] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
The Autistic Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is characterized by a difficulty in expressing and interpreting others’ emotions. In particular, people with ASD have difficulties when interpreting emotions encoded in facial expressions. In the past, music interventions have been shown to improve autistic individuals’ emotional and social skills. The present study describes a pilot study to explore the usefulness of music as a tool for improving autistic children’s emotion recognition in facial expressions. Twenty-five children (mean age = 8.8 y, SD = 1.24) with high-functioning ASD and normal hearing participated in the study consisting of four weekly sessions of 15 min each. Twenty-five participants were randomly divided into an experimental group (N = 14) and a control group (N = 11). During each session, participants in the experimental group were exposed to images of facial expressions for four emotions (happy, sad, angry, and fear). Images were shown in three conditions, with the second condition consisting of music of congruent emotion with the shown images. Participants in the control group were shown only images in all three conditions. For six participants in each group, EEG data were acquired during the sessions, and instantaneous emotional responses (arousal and valence values) were extracted from the EEG data. Inter- and intra-session emotion identification improvement was measured in terms of verbal response accuracy, and EEG response differences were analyzed. A comparison of the verbal responses of the experimental group pre- and post-intervention showed a significant (p = 0.001) average improvement in emotion identification accuracy responses of 26% (SD = 3.4). Furthermore, emotional responses of the experimental group at the end of the study showed a higher correlation with the emotional stimuli being presented, compared with their emotional responses at the beginning of the study. No similar verbal responses improvement or EEG-stimuli correlation was found in the control group. These results seem to indicate that music can be used to improve both emotion identification in facial expressions and emotion induction through facial stimuli in children with high-functioning ASD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rafael Ramirez-Melendez
- Music and Machine Learning Lab, DTIC, Universitat Pompeu Fabra, 08018 Barcelona, Spain
- Correspondence:
| | - Elisabet Matamoros
- Department of Information and Communication Technologies, Universitat Pompeu Fabra, 08018 Barcelona, Spain; (E.M.); (D.H.)
| | - Davinia Hernandez
- Department of Information and Communication Technologies, Universitat Pompeu Fabra, 08018 Barcelona, Spain; (E.M.); (D.H.)
| | - Julia Mirabel
- Centre Carrilet, 08031 Barcelona, Spain; (J.M.); (E.S.)
| | | | - Nuria Escude
- Institut Catalá de Musicoterapia, 08021 Barcelona, Spain;
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Yan J, Chen F, Gao X, Peng G. Auditory-Motor Mapping Training Facilitates Speech and Word Learning in Tone Language-Speaking Children With Autism: An Early Efficacy Study. JOURNAL OF SPEECH, LANGUAGE, AND HEARING RESEARCH : JSLHR 2021; 64:4664-4681. [PMID: 34705567 DOI: 10.1044/2021_jslhr-21-00029] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
PURPOSE It has been reported that tone language-speaking children with autism demonstrate speech-specific lexical tone processing difficulty, although they have intact or even better-than-normal processing of nonspeech/melodic pitch analogues. In this early efficacy study, we evaluated the therapeutic potential of Auditory-Motor Mapping Training (AMMT) in facilitating speech and word output for Mandarin-speaking nonverbal and low-verbal children with autism, in comparison with a matched non-AMMT-based control treatment. METHOD Fifteen Mandarin-speaking nonverbal and low-verbal children with autism spectrum disorder participated and completed all the AMMT-based treatment sessions by intoning (singing) and tapping the target words delivered via an app, whereas another 15 participants received control treatment. Generalized linear mixed-effects models were created to evaluate speech production accuracy and word production intelligibility across different groups and conditions. RESULTS Results showed that the AMMT-based treatment provided a more effective training approach in accelerating the rate of speech (especially lexical tone) and word learning in the trained items. More importantly, the enhanced training efficacy on lexical tone acquisition remained at 2 weeks after therapy and generalized to untrained tones that were not practiced. Furthermore, the low-verbal participants showed higher improvement compared to the nonverbal participants. CONCLUSIONS These data provide the first empirical evidence for adopting the AMMT-based training to facilitate speech and word learning in Mandarin-speaking nonverbal and low-verbal children with autism. This early efficacy study holds promise for improving lexical tone production in Mandarin-speaking children with autism but should be further replicated in larger scale randomized studies. Supplemental Material https://doi.org/10.23641/asha.16834627.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jinting Yan
- College of Qiyue Communication & Cangzhou Research Centre for Child Language Rehabilitation, Cangzhou Normal University, Hebei, China
| | - Fei Chen
- School of Foreign Languages, Hunan University, Changsha, China
| | - Xiaotian Gao
- College of Qiyue Communication & Cangzhou Research Centre for Child Language Rehabilitation, Cangzhou Normal University, Hebei, China
| | - Gang Peng
- Research Centre for Language, Cognition, and Neuroscience & Department of Chinese and Bilingual Studies, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Kowloon, Hong Kong SAR
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Chen F, Peng G. Categorical Perception of Pitch Contours and Voice Onset Time in Mandarin-Speaking Adolescents With Autism Spectrum Disorders. JOURNAL OF SPEECH, LANGUAGE, AND HEARING RESEARCH : JSLHR 2021; 64:4468-4484. [PMID: 34570628 DOI: 10.1044/2021_jslhr-20-00725] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
Purpose Previous studies have shown enhanced pitch and impaired time perception in individuals with autism spectrum disorders (ASD). However, it remains unclear whether such deviated patterns of auditory processing depending on acoustic dimensions would transfer to the higher level linguistic pitch and time processing. In this study, we compared the categorical perception (CP) of lexical tones and voice onset time (VOT) in Mandarin Chinese, which utilize pitch and time changes, respectively, to convey phonemic contrasts. Method The data were collected from 22 Mandarin-speaking adolescents with ASD and 20 age-matched neurotypical controls. In addition to the identification and discrimination tasks to test CP performance, all the participants were evaluated with their language ability and phonological working memory. Linear mixed-effects models were constructed to evaluate the identification and discrimination scores across different groups and conditions. Results The basic CP pattern of cross-boundary benefit when perceiving both native lexical tones and VOT was largely preserved in high-functioning adolescents with ASD. The degree of CP of lexical tones in ASD was similar to that in typical controls, whereas the degree of CP of VOT in ASD was greatly reduced. Furthermore, the degree of CP of lexical tones correlated with language ability and digit span in ASD participants. Conclusions These findings suggest that the unbalanced acoustic processing capacities for pitch and time can be generalized to the higher level linguistic processing in ASD. Furthermore, the higher degree of CP of lexical tones correlated with better language ability in Mandarin-speaking individuals with ASD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fei Chen
- School of Foreign Languages, Hunan University, Changsha, China
| | - Gang Peng
- Research Centre for Language, Cognition, and Neuroscience, Department of Chinese and Bilingual Studies, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, China
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14
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A neurodevelopmental disorders perspective into music, social attention, and social bonding. Behav Brain Sci 2021; 44:e101. [PMID: 34588066 PMCID: PMC9087479 DOI: 10.1017/s0140525x20001302] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/07/2022]
Abstract
Our commentary addresses how two neurodevelopmental disorders, Williams syndrome and autism spectrum disorder, provide novel insights into the credible signaling and music and social bonding hypotheses presented in the two target articles. We suggest that these neurodevelopmental disorders, characterized by atypical social communication, allow us to test hypotheses about music, social bonding, and their underlying neurobiology.
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15
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Mercurio MA, Schmitt AJ, Loftus‐Rattan SM, McCallum E. Reducing classroom transition time using a music‐infused video modeling intervention. PSYCHOLOGY IN THE SCHOOLS 2021. [DOI: 10.1002/pits.22529] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/10/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Melyssa A. Mercurio
- Department of Counseling, Psychology, and Special Education Duquesne University Pittsburgh Pennsylvania USA
| | - Ara J. Schmitt
- Department of Counseling, Psychology, and Special Education Duquesne University Pittsburgh Pennsylvania USA
| | - Susan M. Loftus‐Rattan
- Department of Counseling, Psychology, and Special Education Duquesne University Pittsburgh Pennsylvania USA
| | - Elizabeth McCallum
- Department of Counseling, Psychology, and Special Education Duquesne University Pittsburgh Pennsylvania USA
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16
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Chen F, Zhang H, Ding H, Wang S, Peng G, Zhang Y. Neural coding of formant-exaggerated speech and nonspeech in children with and without autism spectrum disorders. Autism Res 2021; 14:1357-1374. [PMID: 33792205 DOI: 10.1002/aur.2509] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/18/2020] [Revised: 03/09/2021] [Accepted: 03/16/2021] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
The presence of vowel exaggeration in infant-directed speech (IDS) may adapt to the age-appropriate demands in speech and language acquisition. Previous studies have provided behavioral evidence of atypical auditory processing towards IDS in children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD), while the underlying neurophysiological mechanisms remain unknown. This event-related potential (ERP) study investigated the neural coding of formant-exaggerated speech and nonspeech in 24 4- to 11-year-old children with ASD and 24 typically-developing (TD) peers. The EEG data were recorded using an alternating block design, in which each stimulus type (exaggerated/non-exaggerated sound) was presented with equal probability. ERP waveform analysis revealed an enhanced P1 for vowel formant exaggeration in the TD group but not in the ASD group. This speech-specific atypical processing in ASD was not found for the nonspeech stimuli which showed similar P1 enhancement in both ASD and TD groups. Moreover, the time-frequency analysis indicated that children with ASD showed differences in neural synchronization in the delta-theta bands for processing acoustic formant changes embedded in nonspeech. Collectively, the results add substantiating neurophysiological evidence (i.e., a lack of neural enhancement effect of vowel exaggeration) for atypical auditory processing of IDS in children with ASD, which may exert a negative effect on phonetic encoding and language learning. LAY SUMMARY: Atypical responses to motherese might act as a potential early marker of risk for children with ASD. This study investigated the neural responses to such socially relevant stimuli in the ASD brain, and the results suggested a lack of neural enhancement responding to the motherese even in individuals without intellectual disability.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fei Chen
- School of Foreign Languages, Hunan University, Changsha, China.,Research Centre for Language, Cognition, and Neuroscience & Department of Chinese and Bilingual Studies, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hong Kong SAR, China.,Department of Speech-Language-Hearing Sciences & Center for Neurobehavioral Development, University of Minnesota, Twin Cities, Minnesota, USA
| | - Hao Zhang
- Speech-Language-Hearing Center, School of Foreign Languages, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China
| | - Hongwei Ding
- Speech-Language-Hearing Center, School of Foreign Languages, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China
| | - Suiping Wang
- School of Psychology, South China Normal University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Gang Peng
- Research Centre for Language, Cognition, and Neuroscience & Department of Chinese and Bilingual Studies, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hong Kong SAR, China
| | - Yang Zhang
- Department of Speech-Language-Hearing Sciences & Center for Neurobehavioral Development, University of Minnesota, Twin Cities, Minnesota, USA
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17
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Aberrant auditory system and its developmental implications for autism. SCIENCE CHINA-LIFE SCIENCES 2021; 64:861-878. [DOI: 10.1007/s11427-020-1863-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/20/2020] [Accepted: 12/06/2020] [Indexed: 12/26/2022]
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18
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Weiss MW, Sharda M, Lense M, Hyde KL, Trehub SE. Enhanced Memory for Vocal Melodies in Autism Spectrum Disorder and Williams Syndrome. Autism Res 2021; 14:1127-1133. [PMID: 33398938 DOI: 10.1002/aur.2462] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/02/2020] [Revised: 11/12/2020] [Accepted: 12/15/2020] [Indexed: 12/27/2022]
Abstract
Adults and children with typical development (TD) remember vocal melodies (without lyrics) better than instrumental melodies, which is attributed to the biological and social significance of human vocalizations. Here we asked whether children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), who have persistent difficulties with communication and social interaction, and adolescents and adults with Williams syndrome (WS), who are highly sociable, even indiscriminately friendly, exhibit a memory advantage for vocal melodies like that observed in individuals with TD. We tested 26 children with ASD, 26 adolescents and adults with WS of similar mental age, and 26 children with TD on their memory for vocal and instrumental (piano, marimba) melodies. After exposing them to 12 unfamiliar folk melodies with different timbres, we required them to indicate whether each of 24 melodies (half heard previously) was old (heard before) or new (not heard before) during an unexpected recognition test. Although the groups successfully distinguished the old from the new melodies, they differed in overall memory. Nevertheless, they exhibited a comparable advantage for vocal melodies. In short, individuals with ASD and WS show enhanced processing of socially significant auditory signals in the context of music. LAY SUMMARY: Typically developing children and adults remember vocal melodies better than instrumental melodies. In this study, we found that children with Autistic Spectrum Disorder, who have severe social processing deficits, and children and adults with Williams syndrome, who are highly sociable, exhibit comparable memory advantages for vocal melodies. The results have implications for musical interventions with these populations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael W Weiss
- International Laboratory for Brain, Music, and Sound Research, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
- Department of Psychology, University of Montreal, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
| | - Megha Sharda
- International Laboratory for Brain, Music, and Sound Research, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
- Department of Psychology, University of Montreal, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
| | - Miriam Lense
- Department of Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery, Vanderbilt University Medical Center; Vanderbilt Kennedy Center; Vanderbilt Brain Institute, Nashville, Tennessee, USA
| | - Krista L Hyde
- International Laboratory for Brain, Music, and Sound Research, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
- Faculty of Medicine, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
| | - Sandra E Trehub
- Department of Psychology, University of Toronto Mississauga, Mississauga, Ontario, Canada
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19
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Lau JCY, To CKS, Kwan JSK, Kang X, Losh M, Wong PCM. Lifelong Tone Language Experience does not Eliminate Deficits in Neural Encoding of Pitch in Autism Spectrum Disorder. J Autism Dev Disord 2020; 51:3291-3310. [PMID: 33216279 DOI: 10.1007/s10803-020-04796-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 11/11/2020] [Indexed: 12/27/2022]
Abstract
Atypical pitch processing is a feature of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), which affects non-tone language speakers' communication. Lifelong auditory experience has been demonstrated to modify genetically-predisposed risks for pitch processing. We examined individuals with ASD to test the hypothesis that lifelong auditory experience in tone language may eliminate impaired pitch processing in ASD. We examined children's and adults' Frequency-following Response (FFR), a neurophysiological component indexing early neural sensory encoding of pitch. Univariate and machine-learning-based analytics suggest less robust pitch encoding and diminished pitch distinctions in the FFR from individuals with ASD. Contrary to our hypothesis, results point to a linguistic pitch encoding impairment associated with ASD that may not be eliminated even by lifelong sensory experience.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joseph C Y Lau
- Department of Linguistics and Modern Languages, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shatin, Hong Kong SAR, China.,Brain and Mind Institute, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shatin, Hong Kong SAR, China.,Roxelyn and Richard Pepper Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL, USA.,Department of Psychology, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL, USA.,Institute for Policy Research, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL, USA
| | - Carol K S To
- Division of Speech and Hearing Sciences, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China
| | - Judy S K Kwan
- Department of Linguistics and Modern Languages, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shatin, Hong Kong SAR, China.,Department of Chinese and Bilingual Studies, Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hung Hom, Hong Kong SAR, China
| | - Xin Kang
- Department of Linguistics and Modern Languages, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shatin, Hong Kong SAR, China.,Brain and Mind Institute, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shatin, Hong Kong SAR, China
| | - Molly Losh
- Roxelyn and Richard Pepper Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL, USA
| | - Patrick C M Wong
- Department of Linguistics and Modern Languages, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shatin, Hong Kong SAR, China. .,Brain and Mind Institute, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shatin, Hong Kong SAR, China.
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20
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Jaffe-Dax S, Eigsti IM. Perceptual inference is impaired in individuals with ASD and intact in individuals who have lost the autism diagnosis. Sci Rep 2020; 10:17085. [PMID: 33051465 PMCID: PMC7554034 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-020-72896-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/03/2020] [Accepted: 09/07/2020] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
Beyond the symptoms which characterize their diagnoses, individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) show enhanced performance in simple perceptual discrimination tasks. Often attributed to superior sensory sensitivities, enhanced performance may also reflect a weaker bias towards previously perceived stimuli. This study probes perceptual inference in a group of individuals who have lost the autism diagnosis (LAD); that is, they were diagnosed with ASD in early childhood but have no current ASD symptoms. Groups of LAD, current ASD, and typically developing (TD) participants completed an auditory discrimination task. Individuals with TD showed a bias towards previously perceived stimuli-a perceptual process called "contraction bias"; that is, their representation of a given tone was contracted towards the preceding trial stimulus in a manner that is Bayesian optimal. Similarly, individuals in the LAD group showed a contraction bias. In contrast, individuals with current ASD showed a weaker contraction bias, suggesting reduced perceptual inferencing. These findings suggest that changes that characterize LAD extend beyond the social and communicative symptoms of ASD, impacting perceptual domains. Measuring perceptual processing earlier in development in ASD will tap the causality between changes in perceptual and symptomatological domains. Further, the characterization of perceptual inference could reveal meaningful individual differences in complex high-level behaviors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sagi Jaffe-Dax
- Department of Psychology, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ, 08544, USA.
| | - Inge-Marie Eigsti
- Department of Psychological Sciences and Connecticut Institute for the Brain and Cognitive Sciences, University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT, 06269, USA
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21
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Scheerer NE, Jones JA, Iarocci G. Exploring the Relationship between Prosodic Control and Social Competence in Children with and without Autism Spectrum Disorder. Autism Res 2020; 13:1880-1892. [PMID: 33043618 DOI: 10.1002/aur.2405] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/21/2019] [Revised: 08/05/2020] [Accepted: 09/18/2020] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
Abstract
Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a developmental disorder characterized by persistent deficits in social communication and interaction. Speech is an important form of social communication. Prosody (e.g. vocal pitch, rhythm, etc.), one aspect of the speech signal, is crucial for ensuring information about the emotionality, excitability, and intent of the speaker, is accurately expressed. The objective of this study was to gain a better understanding of how auditory information is used to regulate speech prosody in autistic and non-autistic children, while exploring the relationship between the prosodic control of speech and social competence. Eighty autistic (M = 8.48 years, SD = 2.55) and non-autistic (M = 7.36 years, SD = 2.51) participants produced vocalizations while exposed to unaltered and frequency altered auditory feedback. The parent-report Multidimensional Social Competence Scale was used to assess social competence, while the Autism-Spectrum Quotient and the Autism Spectrum Rating Scales were used to assess autism characteristics. Results indicate that vocal response magnitudes and vocal variability were similar across autistic and non-autistic children. However, autistic children produced significantly faster responses to the auditory feedback manipulation. Hierarchical multiple regressions indicated that these faster responses were significantly associated with poorer parent-rated social competence and higher autism characteristics. These findings suggest that prosodic speech production differences are present in at least a subgroup of autistic children. These results represent a key step in understanding how atypicalities in the mechanisms supporting speech production may manifest in social-communication deficits, as well as broader social competence, and vice versa. Autism Res 2020, 13: 1880-1892. © 2020 International Society for Autism Research and Wiley Periodicals LLC LAY SUMMARY: In this study, autistic and non-autistic children produced vowel sounds while listening to themselves through headphones. When the children heard their vocal pitch shifted upward or downward, they compensated by shifting their vocal pitch in the opposite direction. Interestingly, autistic children were faster to correct for the perceived vowel sound changes than their typically developing peers. Faster responses in the children with ASD were linked to poorer ratings of their social abilities by their parent. These results suggest that autistic and non-autistic children show differences in how quickly they control their speech, and these differences may be related to the social challenges experienced by autistic children.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nichole E Scheerer
- Department of Psychology, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada.,The Brain and Mind Institute, Western Interdisciplinary Research Building, University of Western Ontario, London, Ontario, Canada
| | - Jeffery A Jones
- Department of Psychology and Laurier Centre for Cognitive Neuroscience, Wilfrid Laurier University, Waterloo, Ontario, Canada
| | - Grace Iarocci
- Department of Psychology, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada
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22
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Brancatisano O, Baird A, Thompson WF. Why is music therapeutic for neurological disorders? The Therapeutic Music Capacities Model. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2020; 112:600-615. [PMID: 32050086 DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2020.02.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 46] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/25/2019] [Revised: 02/04/2020] [Accepted: 02/08/2020] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
Abstract
Music has cognitive, psychosocial, behavioral and motor benefits for people with neurological disorders such as dementia, stroke, Parkinson's disease (PD) and Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). Here we discuss seven properties or 'capacities' of music that interact with brain function and contribute to its therapeutic value. Specifically, in its various forms, music can be engaging, emotional, physical, personal, social and persuasive, and it promotes synchronization of movement. We propose the Therapeutic Music Capacities Model (TMCM), which links individual properties of music to therapeutic mechanisms, leading to cognitive, psychosocial, behavioral and motor benefits. We review evidence that these capacities have reliable benefits for people with dementia, stroke, PD and ASD when employed separately or in combination. The model accounts for the profound value that music affords human health and well-being and provides a framework for the development of non-pharmaceutical treatments for neurological disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Olivia Brancatisano
- Department of Psychology and Centre for Ageing, Cognition, and Wellbeing, Macquarie University, Sydney, Australia
| | - Amee Baird
- Department of Psychology and Centre for Ageing, Cognition, and Wellbeing, Macquarie University, Sydney, Australia
| | - William Forde Thompson
- Department of Psychology and Centre for Ageing, Cognition, and Wellbeing, Macquarie University, Sydney, Australia.
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23
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Lense MD, Camarata S. PRESS-Play: Musical Engagement as a Motivating Platform for Social Interaction and Social Play in Young Children with ASD. MUSIC & SCIENCE 2020; 3:10.1177/2059204320933080. [PMID: 32832103 PMCID: PMC7440205 DOI: 10.1177/2059204320933080] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/24/2023]
Abstract
Musical experiences are ubiquitous in early childhood. Beyond potential benefits of musical activities for young children with typical development, there has long been interest in harnessing music for therapeutic purposes for individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). However, there is debate as to the effectiveness of these approaches and thus a need to identify mechanisms of change (or active ingredients) by which musical experiences may impact social development in young children with ASD. In this review, we introduce the PRESS-Play framework, which conceptualizes musical activities for young children with ASD within an applied behavior analysis framework consistent with the principles of naturalistic developmental behavioral interventions. Specifically, the PRESS-Play framework proposes that musical activities support key elements of evidence-based approaches for social engagement including predictability, reinforcement, emotion regulation, shared attention, and social play context, providing a platform for delivery and receipt of social and behavioral instruction via a transactional, developmental approach. PRESS-Play considers that these factors may impact not only the child with ASD but also their interaction partner, such as a parent or peer, creating contexts conducive for validated social engagement and interaction. These principles point to focused theories of change within a clinical-translational framework in order to experimentally test components of social-musical engagement and conduct rigorous, evidence-based intervention studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Miriam D. Lense
- Department of Otolaryngology – Head and Neck Surgery, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN
- Vanderbilt Kennedy Center, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN
- The Curb Center for Art, Enterprise, and Public Policy, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN
| | - Stephen Camarata
- Vanderbilt Kennedy Center, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN
- Department of Hearing and Speech Sciences, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN
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24
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Stewart ME, Griffiths TD, Grube M. Autistic Traits and Enhanced Perceptual Representation of Pitch and Time. J Autism Dev Disord 2019; 48:1350-1358. [PMID: 26189179 DOI: 10.1007/s10803-015-2517-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
Enhanced basic perceptual discrimination has been reported for pitch in individuals with autism spectrum conditions. We test whether there is a correlational pattern of enhancement across the broader autism phenotype and whether this correlation occurs for the discrimination of pitch, time and loudness. Scores on the Autism-Spectrum Quotient correlated significantly with the pitch discrimination (r = -0.51, p < 0.05) and the time-interval discrimination (r = -0.45, p < 0.05) task that were based on a fixed reference. No correlation was found for intensity discrimination based on a fixed reference, nor for a variable reference based time-interval discrimination. The correlations suggest a relationship between autistic traits and the ability to form an enhanced, stable and highly accurate representation of auditory events in the pitch and time dimensions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mary E Stewart
- Psychology, Heriot-Watt University, Riccarton, Edinburgh, EH14 4AS, Scotland, UK.
| | - Timothy D Griffiths
- Auditory Group, Institute of Neuroscience, Medical School, Framlington Place, Newcastle University, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE2 4HH, England, UK
| | - Manon Grube
- Auditory Group, Institute of Neuroscience, Medical School, Framlington Place, Newcastle University, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE2 4HH, England, UK
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25
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Rendall AR, Perrino PA, Buscarello AN, Fitch RH. Shank3B mutant mice display pitch discrimination enhancements and learning deficits. Int J Dev Neurosci 2018; 72:13-21. [DOI: 10.1016/j.ijdevneu.2018.10.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/10/2018] [Revised: 10/21/2018] [Accepted: 10/26/2018] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Amanda R. Rendall
- Yale University School of Medicine, Pediatrics464 Congress AveNew Haven06520‐8055CTUSA
- University of Connecticut, Psychology‐Behavioral Neuroscience406 Babbidge Road, Unit 1020 StorrsMansfield06269CTUSA
| | - Peter A. Perrino
- University of Connecticut, Psychology‐Behavioral Neuroscience406 Babbidge Road, Unit 1020 StorrsMansfield06269CTUSA
| | - Alexzandrea N. Buscarello
- University of Connecticut, Psychology‐Behavioral Neuroscience406 Babbidge Road, Unit 1020 StorrsMansfield06269CTUSA
| | - R. Holly Fitch
- University of Connecticut, Psychology‐Behavioral Neuroscience406 Babbidge Road, Unit 1020 StorrsMansfield06269CTUSA
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26
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Heaton P, Tsang WF, Jakubowski K, Mullensiefen D, Allen R. Discriminating autism and language impairment and specific language impairment through acuity of musical imagery. RESEARCH IN DEVELOPMENTAL DISABILITIES 2018; 80:52-63. [PMID: 29913330 DOI: 10.1016/j.ridd.2018.06.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/17/2018] [Revised: 06/05/2018] [Accepted: 06/07/2018] [Indexed: 06/08/2023]
Abstract
Deficits in auditory short-term memory have been widely reported in children with Specific Language Impairment (SLI), and recent evidence suggests that children with Autism Spectrum Disorder and co-morbid language impairment (ALI) experience similar difficulties. Music, like language relies on auditory memory and the aim of the study was to extend work investigating the impact of auditory short-term memory impairments to musical perception in children with neurodevelopmental disorders. Groups of children with SLI and ALI were matched on chronological age (CA), receptive vocabulary, non-verbal intelligence and digit span, and compared with CA matched typically developing (TD) controls, on tests of pitch and temporal acuity within a voluntary musical imagery paradigm. The SLI participants performed at significantly lower levels than the ALI and TD groups on both conditions of the task and their musical imagery and digit span scores were positively correlated. In contrast ALI participants performed as well as TD controls on the tempo condition and better than TD controls on the pitch condition of the task. Whilst auditory short-term memory and receptive vocabulary impairments were similar across ALI and SLI groups, these were not associated with a deficit in voluntary musical imagery performance in the ALI group.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pamela Heaton
- Psychology, Goldsmiths University of London, New Cross, London, SE14 6NW, United Kingdom.
| | - Wai Fung Tsang
- Psychology, Goldsmiths University of London, New Cross, London, SE14 6NW, United Kingdom
| | - Kelly Jakubowski
- Music, University of Durham, Palace Green, Durham, DH1 3RL, United Kingdom
| | - Daniel Mullensiefen
- Psychology, Goldsmiths University of London, New Cross, London, SE14 6NW, United Kingdom
| | - Rory Allen
- Psychology, Goldsmiths University of London, New Cross, London, SE14 6NW, United Kingdom
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27
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Musical disability in children with autism spectrum disorder. Psychiatry Res 2018; 267:354-359. [PMID: 29957553 DOI: 10.1016/j.psychres.2018.05.078] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/10/2017] [Revised: 05/04/2018] [Accepted: 05/25/2018] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
Abstract
Although enhanced musical ability is reported in individuals with autism spectrum disorders (ASD), this observation may be uncommon, and reports of auditory processing deficits suggest musical ability may be impaired. We hypothesized that musical ability would be impaired in children with ASD, that the severity of impairment would correlate with cognitive dysfunction, and with clinical features of illness. We evaluated 26 children with ASD and 27 typically developing (TD) children using the Montreal Battery of Evaluation of Amusia short version (MBEA-s) as well as cognitive tests and clinical evaluations of ASD symptomatology. Mean scores on the MBEA-s were significantly lower in children with ASD. MBEA-s scores did not correlate with cognitive test results in either ASD or TD children, and did not correlate with symptom severity in ASD children. For the ASD children only, the combination of hyperactivity/inattention and working memory resulted in a significant contribution to the variance in the MBEA-s score. The findings indicate that musical ability appears to be impaired in children with ASD, and assessment of musical ability may complement cognitive tests and measures of symptomatology in characterizing the shared neural substrates for these dysfunctions in ASD.
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28
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Germain E, Foster NEV, Sharda M, Chowdhury R, Tryfon A, Doyle-Thomas KAR, Anagnostou E, Hyde KL. Pitch direction ability predicts melodic perception in autism. Child Neuropsychol 2018; 25:445-465. [PMID: 29950145 DOI: 10.1080/09297049.2018.1488954] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/24/2023]
Abstract
Individuals with autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) often present atypical auditory perception. Previous work has reported both enhanced low-level pitch discrimination and superior abilities to detect local pitch structure on higher-level melodic tasks in ASD. However, it is unclear how low and high levels of auditory perception are related in ASD or typical development (TD), or how this relationship might change across development and stimulus presentation rates. To these aims, in the present study, children with ASD and TD were tested on a low-level pitch direction discrimination task and a high-level melodic global-local task. Groups performed similarly on both of these auditory tasks. Moreover, individual differences in low-level pitch direction ability predicted performance on the higher-level global-local task, with a stronger relationship in ASD. Age did not affect the relationship between low-level and high-level pitch performance in either ASD or TD. However, there was a more positive effect of age on the high-level global-local task performance in TD than ASD. Finally, there was no effect of stimulus rate on the relationship between low-level and high-level pitch performance in either group. These findings provide a better understanding of how perception is associated across levels of processing in ASD versus TD. This work helps to better understand individual differences in auditory perception and to refine ASD phenotypes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Esther Germain
- a International Laboratory for Brain, Music and Sound Research (BRAMS), Pavillon 1420 Mont-Royal, Department of Psychology , University of Montreal , Montreal , Quebec , Canada.,b Arts and Sciences, Pavillon Lionel-Groulx , Université de Montréal , Montréal , Québec Canada
| | - Nicholas E V Foster
- a International Laboratory for Brain, Music and Sound Research (BRAMS), Pavillon 1420 Mont-Royal, Department of Psychology , University of Montreal , Montreal , Quebec , Canada.,c Medicine, McIntyre Medical Building , McGill University , Montreal , Quebec , Canada
| | - Megha Sharda
- a International Laboratory for Brain, Music and Sound Research (BRAMS), Pavillon 1420 Mont-Royal, Department of Psychology , University of Montreal , Montreal , Quebec , Canada.,b Arts and Sciences, Pavillon Lionel-Groulx , Université de Montréal , Montréal , Québec Canada
| | - Rakhee Chowdhury
- a International Laboratory for Brain, Music and Sound Research (BRAMS), Pavillon 1420 Mont-Royal, Department of Psychology , University of Montreal , Montreal , Quebec , Canada.,b Arts and Sciences, Pavillon Lionel-Groulx , Université de Montréal , Montréal , Québec Canada
| | - Ana Tryfon
- a International Laboratory for Brain, Music and Sound Research (BRAMS), Pavillon 1420 Mont-Royal, Department of Psychology , University of Montreal , Montreal , Quebec , Canada.,c Medicine, McIntyre Medical Building , McGill University , Montreal , Quebec , Canada
| | - Krissy A R Doyle-Thomas
- d Holland Bloorview Kids Rehabilitation Hospital , University of Toronto , Toronto , ON , Canada
| | - Evdokia Anagnostou
- d Holland Bloorview Kids Rehabilitation Hospital , University of Toronto , Toronto , ON , Canada
| | - Krista L Hyde
- a International Laboratory for Brain, Music and Sound Research (BRAMS), Pavillon 1420 Mont-Royal, Department of Psychology , University of Montreal , Montreal , Quebec , Canada.,b Arts and Sciences, Pavillon Lionel-Groulx , Université de Montréal , Montréal , Québec Canada.,c Medicine, McIntyre Medical Building , McGill University , Montreal , Quebec , Canada
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Lambrechts A, Falter-Wagner CM, van Wassenhove V. Diminished neural resources allocation to time processing in Autism Spectrum Disorders. NEUROIMAGE-CLINICAL 2017; 17:124-136. [PMID: 29085774 PMCID: PMC5650680 DOI: 10.1016/j.nicl.2017.09.023] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/08/2017] [Revised: 09/07/2017] [Accepted: 09/26/2017] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
Background Interval timing, the ability to judge the duration of short events, has been shown to be compromised in Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD). Timing abilities are ubiquitous and underlie behaviours as varied as sensory integration, motor coordination or communication. It has been suggested that atypical temporal processing in ASD could contribute to some of the disorder's symptoms, in particular motor clumsiness and difficulties in social interaction and communication. Recent behavioural investigations have suggested that interval timing in ASD is characterised by intact sensitivity but reduced precision in duration judgements. Methods In this study we investigated the processing of duration as compared to pitch in a group of high-functioning individuals with ASD using magnetoencephalography (MEG). 18 adolescents and adults with ASD and 18 age- and IQ-matched typically-developing control (TDC) individuals compared two consecutive tones according to their duration or pitch in separate experimental blocks. The analysis was carried out exclusively on physically identical stimuli (500 Hz tones lasting 600 ms), which served, according to instruction, as standard or probe in a Duration or Pitch task respectively. Results Our results suggest that compared to TDC individuals, individuals with ASD are less able to predict the duration of the standard tone accurately, affecting the sensitivity of the comparison process. In addition, contrary to TDC individuals who allocate resources at different times depending on the nature of the task (pitch or duration discrimination), individuals with ASD seem to engage less resources for the Duration task than for the Pitch task regardless of the context. Although individuals with ASD showed top-down adaptation to the context of the task, this neuronal strategy reflects a bias in the readiness to perform different types of tasks, and in particular a diminished allocation of resources to duration processing which could have cascading effect on learning and development of other cognitive functions. We investigated MEG response associated with duration or pitch comparison in ASD. We found lower sensitivity for duration discrimination behaviourally in ASD. ASD adults are less able to predict the offset of a standard tone. ASD adults engage less neural resources in duration than pitch discrimination task.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anna Lambrechts
- Autism Research Group, Department of Psychology, City University London, United Kingdom.
| | - Christine M Falter-Wagner
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy and Institute of Medical Psychology, Faculty of Medicine, LMU Munich, Germany.
| | - Virginie van Wassenhove
- Cognitive Neuroimaging Unit, CEA DRF/Joliot/NeuroSpin, INSERM, Université Paris-Sud, Université Paris-Saclay, 91191 Gif/Yvette, France.
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31
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Huang D, Yu L, Wang X, Fan Y, Wang S, Zhang Y. Distinct patterns of discrimination and orienting for temporal processing of speech and nonspeech in Chinese children with autism: an event-related potential study. Eur J Neurosci 2017; 47:662-668. [DOI: 10.1111/ejn.13657] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/16/2016] [Revised: 08/09/2017] [Accepted: 08/10/2017] [Indexed: 12/01/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Dan Huang
- School of Psychology; South China Normal University; Guangzhou 510631 China
- Guangzhou Rehabilitation and Research Center for Children with Autism; Guangzhou Cana School; Guangzhou China
| | - Luodi Yu
- School of Psychology; South China Normal University; Guangzhou 510631 China
- Department of Speech-Language-Hearing Sciences; University of Minnesota; Minneapolis MN 55455 USA
| | - Xiaoyue Wang
- School of Psychology; South China Normal University; Guangzhou 510631 China
| | - Yuebo Fan
- Guangzhou Rehabilitation and Research Center for Children with Autism; Guangzhou Cana School; Guangzhou China
| | - Suiping Wang
- School of Psychology; South China Normal University; Guangzhou 510631 China
- Center for Studies of Psychological Application; South China Normal University; Guangzhou China
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Mental Health and Cognitive Science; South China Normal University; Guangzhou China
| | - Yang Zhang
- Department of Speech-Language-Hearing Sciences; University of Minnesota; Minneapolis MN 55455 USA
- Center for Neurobehavioral Development; University of Minnesota; Minneapolis MN USA
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32
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Remington A, Fairnie J. A sound advantage: Increased auditory capacity in autism. Cognition 2017; 166:459-465. [DOI: 10.1016/j.cognition.2017.04.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 46] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/15/2016] [Revised: 03/29/2017] [Accepted: 04/05/2017] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
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Rendall AR, Ford AL, Perrino PA, Holly Fitch R. Auditory processing enhancements in the TS2-neo mouse model of Timothy Syndrome, a rare genetic disorder associated with autism spectrum disorders. ADVANCES IN NEURODEVELOPMENTAL DISORDERS 2017; 1:176-189. [PMID: 29159279 PMCID: PMC5693350 DOI: 10.1007/s41252-017-0029-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/07/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Amanda R. Rendall
- Department of Psychology/Behavioral Neuroscience and Institute for Systems Genomics, University of Connecticut, 406 Babbidge Road, Unit 1020, Storrs, CT 06269
| | - Aiden L. Ford
- Department of Psychology/Behavioral Neuroscience and Institute for Systems Genomics, University of Connecticut, 406 Babbidge Road, Unit 1020, Storrs, CT 06269
| | - Peter A. Perrino
- Department of Psychology/Behavioral Neuroscience and Institute for Systems Genomics, University of Connecticut, 406 Babbidge Road, Unit 1020, Storrs, CT 06269
| | - R. Holly Fitch
- Department of Psychology/Behavioral Neuroscience and Institute for Systems Genomics, University of Connecticut, 406 Babbidge Road, Unit 1020, Storrs, CT 06269
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Filipe MG, Watson L, Vicente SG, Frota S. Atypical preference for infant-directed speech as an early marker of autism spectrum disorders? A literature review and directions for further research. CLINICAL LINGUISTICS & PHONETICS 2017; 32:213-231. [PMID: 28727482 DOI: 10.1080/02699206.2017.1342694] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/02/2017] [Accepted: 06/12/2017] [Indexed: 06/07/2023]
Abstract
Autism spectrum disorders (ASD) refer to a complex group of neurodevelopmental disorders causing difficulties with communication and interpersonal relationships, as well as restricted and repetitive behaviours and interests. As early identification, diagnosis, and intervention provide better long-term outcomes, early markers of ASD have gained increased research attention. This review examines evidence that auditory processing enhanced by social interest, in particular auditory preference of speech directed towards infants and young children (i.e. infant-directed speech - IDS), may be an early marker of risk for ASD. Although this review provides evidence for IDS preference as, indeed, a potential early marker of ASD, the explanation for differences in IDS processing among children with ASD versus other children remains unclear, as are the implications of these impairments for later social-communicative development. Therefore, it is crucial to explore atypicalities in IDS processing early on development and to understand whether preferential listening to specific types of speech sounds in the first years of life may help to predict the impairments in social and language development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marisa G Filipe
- a Centro de Linguística, Faculdade de Letras, Universidade de Lisboa , Lisbon , Portugal
- b Universidade do Porto , Porto , Portugal
| | - Linda Watson
- c University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill , Chapel Hill , North Carolina , USA
| | | | - Sónia Frota
- a Centro de Linguística, Faculdade de Letras, Universidade de Lisboa , Lisbon , Portugal
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Chowdhury R, Sharda M, Foster NEV, Germain E, Tryfon A, Doyle-Thomas K, Anagnostou E, Hyde KL. Auditory Pitch Perception in Autism Spectrum Disorder Is Associated With Nonverbal Abilities. Perception 2017; 46:1298-1320. [PMID: 28683588 DOI: 10.1177/0301006617718715] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/15/2022]
Abstract
Atypical sensory perception and heterogeneous cognitive profiles are common features of autism spectrum disorder (ASD). However, previous findings on auditory sensory processing in ASD are mixed. Accordingly, auditory perception and its relation to cognitive abilities in ASD remain poorly understood. Here, children with ASD, and age- and intelligence quotient (IQ)-matched typically developing children, were tested on a low- and a higher level pitch processing task. Verbal and nonverbal cognitive abilities were measured using the Wechsler's Abbreviated Scale of Intelligence. There were no group differences in performance on either auditory task or IQ measure. However, there was significant variability in performance on the auditory tasks in both groups that was predicted by nonverbal, not verbal skills. These results suggest that auditory perception is related to nonverbal reasoning rather than verbal abilities in ASD and typically developing children. In addition, these findings provide evidence for preserved pitch processing in school-age children with ASD with average IQ, supporting the idea that there may be a subgroup of individuals with ASD that do not present perceptual or cognitive difficulties. Future directions involve examining whether similar perceptual-cognitive relationships might be observed in a broader sample of individuals with ASD, such as those with language impairment or lower IQ.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rakhee Chowdhury
- Department of Psychology, Université de Montréal, International Laboratory for Brain Music and Sound Research, Montréal, QC, Canada
| | - Megha Sharda
- Department of Psychology, Université de Montréal, International Laboratory for Brain Music and Sound Research, Montréal, QC, Canada
| | - Nicholas E V Foster
- Department of Psychology, Université de Montréal, International Laboratory for Brain Music and Sound Research, Montréal, QC, Canada
| | - Esther Germain
- Department of Psychology, Université de Montréal, International Laboratory for Brain Music and Sound Research, Montréal, QC, Canada
| | - Ana Tryfon
- Department of Psychology, Université de Montréal, International Laboratory for Brain Music and Sound Research, Montréal, QC, Canada; Faculty of Medicine, McGill University, Montréal, QC, Canada
| | - Krissy Doyle-Thomas
- Holland Bloorview Kids Rehabilitation Hospital, University of Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Evdokia Anagnostou
- Holland Bloorview Kids Rehabilitation Hospital, University of Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Krista L Hyde
- Department of Psychology, Université de Montréal, International Laboratory for Brain Music and Sound Research, Montréal, QC, Canada; Faculty of Medicine, McGill University, Montréal, QC, Canada
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Cheng STT, Lam GYH, To CKS. Pitch Perception in Tone Language-Speaking Adults With and Without Autism Spectrum Disorders. Iperception 2017; 8:2041669517711200. [PMID: 28616150 PMCID: PMC5460721 DOI: 10.1177/2041669517711200] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Enhanced low-level pitch perception has been universally reported in autism spectrum disorders (ASD). This study examined whether tone language speakers with ASD exhibit this advantage. The pitch perception skill of 20 Cantonese-speaking adults with ASD was compared with that of 20 neurotypical individuals. Participants discriminated pairs of real syllable, pseudo-syllable (syllables that do not conform the phonotactic rules or are accidental gaps), and non-speech (syllables with attenuated high-frequency segmental content) stimuli contrasting pitch levels. The results revealed significantly higher discrimination ability in both groups for the non-speech stimuli than for the pseudo-syllables with one semitone difference. No significant group differences were noted. Different from previous findings, post hoc analysis found that enhanced pitch perception was observed in a subgroup of participants with ASD showing no history of delayed speech onset. The tone language experience may have modulated the pitch processing mechanism in the speakers in both ASD and non-ASD groups.
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Demopoulos C, Yu N, Tripp J, Mota N, Brandes-Aitken AN, Desai SS, Hill SS, Antovich AD, Harris J, Honma S, Mizuiri D, Nagarajan SS, Marco EJ. Magnetoencephalographic Imaging of Auditory and Somatosensory Cortical Responses in Children with Autism and Sensory Processing Dysfunction. Front Hum Neurosci 2017; 11:259. [PMID: 28603492 PMCID: PMC5445128 DOI: 10.3389/fnhum.2017.00259] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/04/2017] [Accepted: 05/01/2017] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
This study compared magnetoencephalographic (MEG) imaging-derived indices of auditory and somatosensory cortical processing in children aged 8–12 years with autism spectrum disorder (ASD; N = 18), those with sensory processing dysfunction (SPD; N = 13) who do not meet ASD criteria, and typically developing control (TDC; N = 19) participants. The magnitude of responses to both auditory and tactile stimulation was comparable across all three groups; however, the M200 latency response from the left auditory cortex was significantly delayed in the ASD group relative to both the TDC and SPD groups, whereas the somatosensory response of the ASD group was only delayed relative to TDC participants. The SPD group did not significantly differ from either group in terms of somatosensory latency, suggesting that participants with SPD may have an intermediate phenotype between ASD and TDC with regard to somatosensory processing. For the ASD group, correlation analyses indicated that the left M200 latency delay was significantly associated with performance on the WISC-IV Verbal Comprehension Index as well as the DSTP Acoustic-Linguistic index. Further, these cortical auditory response delays were not associated with somatosensory cortical response delays or cognitive processing speed in the ASD group, suggesting that auditory delays in ASD are domain specific rather than associated with generalized processing delays. The specificity of these auditory delays to the ASD group, in addition to their correlation with verbal abilities, suggests that auditory sensory dysfunction may be implicated in communication symptoms in ASD, motivating further research aimed at understanding the impact of sensory dysfunction on the developing brain.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carly Demopoulos
- Department of Radiology, University of California, San FranciscoSan Francisco, CA, United States
| | - Nina Yu
- Department of Neurology, University of California, San FranciscoSan Francisco, CA, United States
| | - Jennifer Tripp
- Department of Neurology, University of California, San FranciscoSan Francisco, CA, United States
| | - Nayara Mota
- Department of Radiology, University of California, San FranciscoSan Francisco, CA, United States
| | - Anne N Brandes-Aitken
- Department of Neurology, University of California, San FranciscoSan Francisco, CA, United States
| | - Shivani S Desai
- Department of Neurology, University of California, San FranciscoSan Francisco, CA, United States
| | - Susanna S Hill
- Department of Neurology, University of California, San FranciscoSan Francisco, CA, United States
| | - Ashley D Antovich
- Department of Neurology, University of California, San FranciscoSan Francisco, CA, United States
| | - Julia Harris
- Department of Neurology, University of California, San FranciscoSan Francisco, CA, United States
| | - Susanne Honma
- Department of Radiology, University of California, San FranciscoSan Francisco, CA, United States
| | - Danielle Mizuiri
- Department of Radiology, University of California, San FranciscoSan Francisco, CA, United States
| | - Srikantan S Nagarajan
- Department of Radiology, University of California, San FranciscoSan Francisco, CA, United States
| | - Elysa J Marco
- Department of Neurology, University of California, San FranciscoSan Francisco, CA, United States.,Department of Pediatrics, University of California, San FranciscoSan Francisco, CA, United States.,Department of Psychiatry, University of California, San FranciscoSan Francisco, CA, United States
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Mapping the Developmental Trajectory and Correlates of Enhanced Pitch Perception on Speech Processing in Adults with ASD. J Autism Dev Disord 2016; 46:1562-73. [PMID: 25106823 DOI: 10.1007/s10803-014-2207-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/24/2022]
Abstract
Whilst enhanced perception has been widely reported in individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASDs), relatively little is known about the developmental trajectory and impact of atypical auditory processing on speech perception in intellectually high-functioning adults with ASD. This paper presents data on perception of complex tones and speech pitch in adult participants with high-functioning ASD and typical development, and compares these with pre-existing data using the same paradigm with groups of children and adolescents with and without ASD. As perceptual processing abnormalities are likely to influence behavioural performance, regression analyses were carried out on the adult data set. The findings revealed markedly different pitch discrimination trajectories and language correlates across diagnostic groups. While pitch discrimination increased with age and correlated with receptive vocabulary in groups without ASD, it was enhanced in childhood and stable across development in ASD. Pitch discrimination scores did not correlate with receptive vocabulary scores in the ASD group and for adults with ASD superior pitch perception was associated with sensory atypicalities and diagnostic measures of symptom severity. We conclude that the development of pitch discrimination, and its associated mechanisms markedly distinguish those with and without ASD.
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Bouvet L, Mottron L, Valdois S, Donnadieu S. Auditory Stream Segregation in Autism Spectrum Disorder: Benefits and Downsides of Superior Perceptual Processes. J Autism Dev Disord 2016; 46:1553-61. [PMID: 24281422 DOI: 10.1007/s10803-013-2003-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Auditory stream segregation allows us to organize our sound environment, by focusing on specific information and ignoring what is unimportant. One previous study reported difficulty in stream segregation ability in children with Asperger syndrome. In order to investigate this question further, we used an interleaved melody recognition task with children in the autism spectrum disorder (ASD). In this task, a probe melody is followed by a mixed sequence, made up of a target melody interleaved with a distractor melody. These two melodies have either the same [0 semitone (ST)] or a different mean frequency (6, 12 or 24 ST separation conditions). Children have to identify if the probe melody is present in the mixed sequence. Children with ASD performed better than typical children when melodies were completely embedded. Conversely, they were impaired in the ST separation conditions. Our results confirm the difficulty of children with ASD in using a frequency cue to organize auditory perceptual information. However, superior performance in the completely embedded condition may result from superior perceptual processes in autism. We propose that this atypical pattern of results might reflect the expression of a single cognitive feature in autism.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lucie Bouvet
- Laboratoire de Neurosciences Fonctionnelles et Pathologiques, Département de psychologie, Université Lille 3, BP 60 149, 59653, Villeneuve d'Ascq Cedex, France. .,Laboratoire de Psychologie et Neurocognition (UMR CNRS 5105), Grenoble, France.
| | - Laurent Mottron
- Clinique spécialisée de l'autisme, Hôpital Rivière-des-Prairies, CETEDUM, Université de Montréal, Montréal, Canada
| | - Sylviane Valdois
- Laboratoire de Psychologie et Neurocognition (UMR CNRS 5105), Grenoble, France.,Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Paris, France
| | - Sophie Donnadieu
- Laboratoire de Psychologie et Neurocognition (UMR CNRS 5105), Grenoble, France.,Université de Savoie, Chambéry, France
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Foster NEV, Ouimet T, Tryfon A, Doyle-Thomas K, Anagnostou E, Hyde KL. Effects of Age and Attention on Auditory Global-Local Processing in Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder. J Autism Dev Disord 2016; 46:1415-28. [PMID: 26724923 DOI: 10.1007/s10803-015-2684-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/22/2023]
Abstract
In vision, typically-developing (TD) individuals perceive "global" (whole) before "local" (detailed) features, whereas individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) exhibit a local bias. However, auditory global-local distinctions are less clear in ASD, particularly in terms of age and attention effects. To these aims, here ASD and TD children judged local and global pitch structure in nine-tone melodies. Both groups showed a similar global precedence effect, but ASD children were less sensitive to global interference than TD children at younger ages. There was no effect of attention task. These findings provide novel evidence of developmental differences in auditory perception and may help to refine sensory phenotypes in ASD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nicholas E V Foster
- International Laboratory for Brain Music and Sound Research (BRAMS), Pavillon 1420 Mont-Royal, Department of Psychology, University of Montreal, C.P. 6128, Succ. Centre-Ville, Montreal, QC, H3C 3J7, Canada.
- Faculty of Medicine, McIntyre Medical Building, McGill University, 3655 Sir William Osler, Montreal, QC, H3G 1Y6, Canada.
| | - Tia Ouimet
- International Laboratory for Brain Music and Sound Research (BRAMS), Pavillon 1420 Mont-Royal, Department of Psychology, University of Montreal, C.P. 6128, Succ. Centre-Ville, Montreal, QC, H3C 3J7, Canada
- Faculty of Medicine, McIntyre Medical Building, McGill University, 3655 Sir William Osler, Montreal, QC, H3G 1Y6, Canada
| | - Ana Tryfon
- International Laboratory for Brain Music and Sound Research (BRAMS), Pavillon 1420 Mont-Royal, Department of Psychology, University of Montreal, C.P. 6128, Succ. Centre-Ville, Montreal, QC, H3C 3J7, Canada
- Faculty of Medicine, McIntyre Medical Building, McGill University, 3655 Sir William Osler, Montreal, QC, H3G 1Y6, Canada
| | - Krissy Doyle-Thomas
- Holland Bloorview Kids Rehabilitation Hospital, University of Toronto, 150 Kilgour Road, Toronto, ON, M4G 1R8, Canada
| | - Evdokia Anagnostou
- Holland Bloorview Kids Rehabilitation Hospital, University of Toronto, 150 Kilgour Road, Toronto, ON, M4G 1R8, Canada
| | - Krista L Hyde
- International Laboratory for Brain Music and Sound Research (BRAMS), Pavillon 1420 Mont-Royal, Department of Psychology, University of Montreal, C.P. 6128, Succ. Centre-Ville, Montreal, QC, H3C 3J7, Canada
- Faculty of Medicine, McIntyre Medical Building, McGill University, 3655 Sir William Osler, Montreal, QC, H3G 1Y6, Canada
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Yu L, Fan Y, Deng Z, Huang D, Wang S, Zhang Y. Pitch Processing in Tonal-Language-Speaking Children with Autism: An Event-Related Potential Study. J Autism Dev Disord 2016; 45:3656-67. [PMID: 26111738 DOI: 10.1007/s10803-015-2510-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 46] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/16/2023]
Abstract
The present study investigated pitch processing in Mandarin-speaking children with autism using event-related potential measures. Two experiments were designed to test how acoustic, phonetic and semantic properties of the stimuli contributed to the neural responses for pitch change detection and involuntary attentional orienting. In comparison with age-matched (6-12 years) typically developing controls (16 participants in Experiment 1, 18 in Experiment 2), children with autism (18 participants in Experiment 1, 16 in Experiment 2) showed enhanced neural discriminatory sensitivity in the nonspeech conditions but not for speech stimuli. The results indicate domain specificity of enhanced pitch processing in autism, which may interfere with lexical tone acquisition and language development for children who speak a tonal language.
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Affiliation(s)
- Luodi Yu
- School of Psychology and Center for the Study of Applied Psychology, South China Normal University, Guangzhou, 510631, China
- Department of Speech-Language-Hearing Sciences, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, 55455, USA
| | - Yuebo Fan
- Guangzhou Rehabilitation and Research Center for Children with Autism, Guangzhou Cana School, Guangzhou, 510540, China
| | - Zhizhou Deng
- School of Psychology and Center for the Study of Applied Psychology, South China Normal University, Guangzhou, 510631, China
| | - Dan Huang
- Guangzhou Rehabilitation and Research Center for Children with Autism, Guangzhou Cana School, Guangzhou, 510540, China
| | - Suiping Wang
- School of Psychology and Center for the Study of Applied Psychology, South China Normal University, Guangzhou, 510631, China.
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Mental Health and Cognitive Science, South China Normal University, Guangzhou, 510631, China.
| | - Yang Zhang
- Department of Speech-Language-Hearing Sciences, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, 55455, USA.
- Center for Neurobehavioral Development, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, 55455, USA.
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42
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Perception of Melodic Contour and Intonation in Autism Spectrum Disorder: Evidence From Mandarin Speakers. J Autism Dev Disord 2016; 45:2067-75. [PMID: 25636678 DOI: 10.1007/s10803-015-2370-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 40] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/24/2022]
Abstract
Tone language experience benefits pitch processing in music and speech for typically developing individuals. No known studies have examined pitch processing in individuals with autism who speak a tone language. This study investigated discrimination and identification of melodic contour and speech intonation in a group of Mandarin-speaking individuals with high-functioning autism. Individuals with autism showed superior melodic contour identification but comparable contour discrimination relative to controls. In contrast, these individuals performed worse than controls on both discrimination and identification of speech intonation. These findings provide the first evidence for differential pitch processing in music and speech in tone language speakers with autism, suggesting that tone language experience may not compensate for speech intonation perception deficits in individuals with autism.
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Boets B, Verhoeven J, Wouters J, Steyaert J. Fragile spectral and temporal auditory processing in adolescents with autism spectrum disorder and early language delay. J Autism Dev Disord 2015; 45:1845-57. [PMID: 25503681 DOI: 10.1007/s10803-014-2341-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
We investigated low-level auditory spectral and temporal processing in adolescents with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and early language delay compared to matched typically developing controls. Auditory measures were designed to target right versus left auditory cortex processing (i.e. frequency discrimination and slow amplitude modulation (AM) detection versus gap-in-noise detection and faster AM detection), and to pinpoint the task and stimulus characteristics underlying putative superior spectral processing in ASD. We observed impaired frequency discrimination in the ASD group and suggestive evidence of poorer temporal resolution as indexed by gap-in-noise detection thresholds. These findings question the evidence of enhanced spectral sensitivity in ASD and do not support the hypothesis of superior right and inferior left hemispheric auditory processing in ASD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bart Boets
- Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Department of Neurosciences, University of Leuven (KU Leuven), Herestraat 49, Box 7003, 3000, Leuven, Belgium,
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Greenberg DM, Baron-Cohen S, Stillwell DJ, Kosinski M, Rentfrow PJ. Musical Preferences are Linked to Cognitive Styles. PLoS One 2015; 10:e0131151. [PMID: 26200656 PMCID: PMC4511638 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0131151] [Citation(s) in RCA: 64] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/11/2015] [Accepted: 05/31/2015] [Indexed: 01/22/2023] Open
Abstract
Why do we like the music we do? Research has shown that musical preferences and personality are linked, yet little is known about other influences on preferences such as cognitive styles. To address this gap, we investigated how individual differences in musical preferences are explained by the empathizing-systemizing (E-S) theory. Study 1 examined the links between empathy and musical preferences across four samples. By reporting their preferential reactions to musical stimuli, samples 1 and 2 (Ns = 2,178 and 891) indicated their preferences for music from 26 different genres, and samples 3 and 4 (Ns = 747 and 320) indicated their preferences for music from only a single genre (rock or jazz). Results across samples showed that empathy levels are linked to preferences even within genres and account for significant proportions of variance in preferences over and above personality traits for various music-preference dimensions. Study 2 (N = 353) replicated and extended these findings by investigating how musical preferences are differentiated by E-S cognitive styles (i.e., 'brain types'). Those who are type E (bias towards empathizing) preferred music on the Mellow dimension (R&B/soul, adult contemporary, soft rock genres) compared to type S (bias towards systemizing) who preferred music on the Intense dimension (punk, heavy metal, and hard rock). Analyses of fine-grained psychological and sonic attributes in the music revealed that type E individuals preferred music that featured low arousal (gentle, warm, and sensual attributes), negative valence (depressing and sad), and emotional depth (poetic, relaxing, and thoughtful), while type S preferred music that featured high arousal (strong, tense, and thrilling), and aspects of positive valence (animated) and cerebral depth (complexity). The application of these findings for clinicians, interventions, and those on the autism spectrum (largely type S or extreme type S) are discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- David M. Greenberg
- Department of Psychology, School of Biological Sciences, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom
| | - Simon Baron-Cohen
- Autism Research Centre, Department of Psychiatry, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom
| | - David J. Stillwell
- The Psychometrics Centre, Department of Psychology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom
| | - Michal Kosinski
- Department of Computer Science, Stanford University, Stanford, California, United States of America
| | - Peter J. Rentfrow
- Department of Psychology, School of Biological Sciences, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom
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Shared and Divergent Auditory and Tactile Processing in Children with Autism and Children with Sensory Processing Dysfunction Relative to Typically Developing Peers. J Int Neuropsychol Soc 2015; 21:444-54. [PMID: 26145730 DOI: 10.1017/s1355617715000387] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
Abstract
The aim of this study was to compare sensory processing in typically developing children (TDC), children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), and those with sensory processing dysfunction (SPD) in the absence of an ASD. Performance-based measures of auditory and tactile processing were compared between male children ages 8-12 years assigned to an ASD (N=20), SPD (N=15), or TDC group (N=19). Both the SPD and ASD groups were impaired relative to the TDC group on a performance-based measure of tactile processing (right-handed graphesthesia). In contrast, only the ASD group showed significant impairment on an auditory processing index assessing dichotic listening, temporal patterning, and auditory discrimination. Furthermore, this impaired auditory processing was associated with parent-rated communication skills for both the ASD group and the combined study sample. No significant group differences were detected on measures of left-handed graphesthesia, tactile sensitivity, or form discrimination; however, more participants in the SPD group demonstrated a higher tactile detection threshold (60%) compared to the TDC (26.7%) and ASD groups (35%). This study provides support for use of performance-based measures in the assessment of children with ASD and SPD and highlights the need to better understand how sensory processing affects the higher order cognitive abilities associated with ASD, such as verbal and non-verbal communication, regardless of diagnostic classification.
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Sharda M, Midha R, Malik S, Mukerji S, Singh NC. Fronto-Temporal Connectivity is Preserved During Sung but Not Spoken Word Listening, Across the Autism Spectrum. Autism Res 2014; 8:174-86. [DOI: 10.1002/aur.1437] [Citation(s) in RCA: 54] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/10/2014] [Accepted: 10/01/2014] [Indexed: 01/16/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Megha Sharda
- Department of Cognitive Neuroscience and Neuroimaging; National Brain Research Centre; Gurgaon India
| | - Rashi Midha
- Department of Cognitive Neuroscience and Neuroimaging; National Brain Research Centre; Gurgaon India
| | - Supriya Malik
- Southend Klinik-Nurturing Connections; New Delhi India
- School of Psychology; University of Birmingham; Birmingham UK
| | | | - Nandini C. Singh
- Department of Cognitive Neuroscience and Neuroimaging; National Brain Research Centre; Gurgaon India
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Gebauer L, Skewes J, Westphael G, Heaton P, Vuust P. Intact brain processing of musical emotions in autism spectrum disorder, but more cognitive load and arousal in happy vs. sad music. Front Neurosci 2014; 8:192. [PMID: 25076869 PMCID: PMC4098021 DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2014.00192] [Citation(s) in RCA: 57] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/28/2014] [Accepted: 06/19/2014] [Indexed: 01/17/2023] Open
Abstract
Music is a potent source for eliciting emotions, but not everybody experience emotions in the same way. Individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) show difficulties with social and emotional cognition. Impairments in emotion recognition are widely studied in ASD, and have been associated with atypical brain activation in response to emotional expressions in faces and speech. Whether these impairments and atypical brain responses generalize to other domains, such as emotional processing of music, is less clear. Using functional magnetic resonance imaging, we investigated neural correlates of emotion recognition in music in high-functioning adults with ASD and neurotypical adults. Both groups engaged similar neural networks during processing of emotional music, and individuals with ASD rated emotional music comparable to the group of neurotypical individuals. However, in the ASD group, increased activity in response to happy compared to sad music was observed in dorsolateral prefrontal regions and in the rolandic operculum/insula, and we propose that this reflects increased cognitive processing and physiological arousal in response to emotional musical stimuli in this group.
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Affiliation(s)
- Line Gebauer
- Music in the Brain, Department of Clinical Medicine, Center of Functionally Integrative Neuroscience, Aarhus UniversityAarhus, Denmark
- Interacting Minds Centre, Aarhus UniversityAarhus, Denmark
| | - Joshua Skewes
- Music in the Brain, Department of Clinical Medicine, Center of Functionally Integrative Neuroscience, Aarhus UniversityAarhus, Denmark
| | - Gitte Westphael
- Music in the Brain, Department of Clinical Medicine, Center of Functionally Integrative Neuroscience, Aarhus UniversityAarhus, Denmark
| | - Pamela Heaton
- Department of Psychology, Goldsmiths, University of LondonLondon, UK
| | - Peter Vuust
- Music in the Brain, Department of Clinical Medicine, Center of Functionally Integrative Neuroscience, Aarhus UniversityAarhus, Denmark
- The Royal Academy of MusicAarhus, Denmark
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Bouvet L, Simard-Meilleur AA, Paignon A, Mottron L, Donnadieu S. Auditory local bias and reduced global interference in autism. Cognition 2014; 131:367-72. [PMID: 24637103 DOI: 10.1016/j.cognition.2014.02.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/11/2013] [Revised: 01/27/2014] [Accepted: 02/03/2014] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
Abstract
Processing local elements of hierarchical patterns at a superior level and independently from an intact global influence is a well-established characteristic of autistic visual perception. However, whether this confirmed finding has an equivalent in the auditory modality is still unknown. To fill this gap, 18 autistics and 18 typical participants completed a melodic decision task where global and local level information can be congruent or incongruent. While focusing either on the global (melody) or local level (group of notes) of hierarchical auditory stimuli, participants have to decide whether the focused level is rising or falling. Autistics showed intact global processing, a superior performance when processing local elements and a reduced global-to-local interference compared to typical participants. These results are the first to demonstrate that autistic processing of auditory hierarchical stimuli closely parallels processing of visual hierarchical stimuli. When analyzing complex auditory information, autistic participants present a local bias and a more autonomous local processing, but not to the detriment of global processing.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lucie Bouvet
- Laboratoire de Psychologie et Neurocognition (UMR CNRS 5105), Grenoble, France; Laboratoire de Neurosciences fonctionnelles et pathologies, UFR de psychologie, Université Lille3, Villeneuve d'Ascq, France.
| | - Andrée-Anne Simard-Meilleur
- Centre d'excellence en trouble envahissants du développement de l'université de Montréal (CETEDUM), Hôpital Rivière-des-Prairies et Département de Psychiatrie, Montréal, Canada
| | - Adeline Paignon
- Laboratoire de Psychologie et Neurocognition (UMR CNRS 5105), Grenoble, France; Université de Savoie, Chambéry, France
| | - Laurent Mottron
- Centre d'excellence en trouble envahissants du développement de l'université de Montréal (CETEDUM), Hôpital Rivière-des-Prairies et Département de Psychiatrie, Montréal, Canada
| | - Sophie Donnadieu
- Laboratoire de Psychologie et Neurocognition (UMR CNRS 5105), Grenoble, France; Université de Savoie, Chambéry, France
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Ludlow A, Mohr B, Whitmore A, Garagnani M, Pulvermüller F, Gutierrez R. Auditory processing and sensory behaviours in children with autism spectrum disorders as revealed by mismatch negativity. Brain Cogn 2014; 86:55-63. [PMID: 24565813 DOI: 10.1016/j.bandc.2014.01.016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 43] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/09/2013] [Revised: 11/01/2013] [Accepted: 01/27/2014] [Indexed: 02/08/2023]
Abstract
Sensory dysfunctions may underlie key characteristics in children with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD). The current study aimed to investigate auditory change detection in children with ASD in order to determine event-related potentials to meaningless and meaningful speech stimuli. 11 high functioning boys with a diagnosis of autism spectrum disorders (mean age=13.0; SD=1.08) and 11 typically developing boys (mean age=13.7; SD=1.5) participated in a mismatch negativity (MMN) paradigm. Results revealed that compared to TD controls, the children with ASD showed significantly reduced MMN responses to both words and pseudowords in the frontal regions of the brain and also a significant reduction in their activation for words in the Central Parietal regions. In order to test the relationship between sensory processing and auditory processing, children completed the Adult and Adolescent Sensory Profile. As predicted, the children with ASD showed more extreme sensory behaviours and were significantly higher than their typically developing controls across three of the sensory quadrants (sensory sensitivity, low registration and sensory avoidance). Importantly, only auditory sensory sensitivity was able to account for the differences displayed for words in the frontal and central parietal regions when controlling for the effect of group, revealing an inverse relationship of the higher sensory sensitivity scores the less activation in response for words. We discuss how the expression of sensory behaviours in ASD may result in deficient neurophysiological mechanisms underlying automatic language processing.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amanda Ludlow
- Department of Psychology, University of Hertfordshire, Hatfield, UK; School of Psychology, University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, UK.
| | - Bettina Mohr
- Department of Psychiatry, Charité Universitätsmedizin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Antony Whitmore
- Department of Psychology, Anglia Ruskin University, Cambridge, UK
| | - Max Garagnani
- Brain Language Laboratory, Freie Universität Berlin, Germany
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Visser E, Zwiers MP, Kan CC, Hoekstra L, van Opstal AJ, Buitelaar JK. Atypical vertical sound localization and sound-onset sensitivity in people with autism spectrum disorders. J Psychiatry Neurosci 2013; 38:398-406. [PMID: 24148845 PMCID: PMC3819154 DOI: 10.1503/jpn.120177] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/05/2012] [Revised: 01/14/2013] [Accepted: 03/20/2013] [Indexed: 12/29/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) are associated with auditory hyper- or hyposensitivity; atypicalities in central auditory processes, such as speech-processing and selective auditory attention; and neural connectivity deficits. We sought to investigate whether the low-level integrative processes underlying sound localization and spatial discrimination are affected in ASDs. METHODS We performed 3 behavioural experiments to probe different connecting neural pathways: 1) horizontal and vertical localization of auditory stimuli in a noisy background, 2) vertical localization of repetitive frequency sweeps and 3) discrimination of horizontally separated sound stimuli with a short onset difference (precedence effect). RESULTS Ten adult participants with ASDs and 10 healthy control listeners participated in experiments 1 and 3; sample sizes for experiment 2 were 18 adults with ASDs and 19 controls. Horizontal localization was unaffected, but vertical localization performance was significantly worse in participants with ASDs. The temporal window for the precedence effect was shorter in participants with ASDs than in controls. LIMITATIONS The study was performed with adult participants and hence does not provide insight into the developmental aspects of auditory processing in individuals with ASDs. CONCLUSION Changes in low-level auditory processing could underlie degraded performance in vertical localization, which would be in agreement with recently reported changes in the neuroanatomy of the auditory brainstem in individuals with ASDs. The results are further discussed in the context of theories about abnormal brain connectivity in individuals with ASDs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eelke Visser
- Visser, Zwiers, Buitelaar — Radboud University Nijmegen, Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, Centre for Cognitive Neuroimaging, Nijmegen, the Netherlands; Visser, Zwiers, Hoekstra, Buitelaar — Radboud University Nijmegen Medical Centre, Department of Cognitive Neuroscience, Nijmegen, the Netherlands; Kan, Hoekstra — Radboud University Nijmegen Medical Centre, Department of Psychiatry, Nijmegen, the Netherlands; van Opstal — Radboud University Nijmegen, Department of Biophysics, Nijmegen and Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, Centre for Neuroscience, Nijmegen, the Netherlands; Hoekstra, Buitelaar — Karakter, Child and Adolescent Psychiatry University Centre, Nijmegen, the Netherlands
| | - Marcel P. Zwiers
- Visser, Zwiers, Buitelaar — Radboud University Nijmegen, Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, Centre for Cognitive Neuroimaging, Nijmegen, the Netherlands; Visser, Zwiers, Hoekstra, Buitelaar — Radboud University Nijmegen Medical Centre, Department of Cognitive Neuroscience, Nijmegen, the Netherlands; Kan, Hoekstra — Radboud University Nijmegen Medical Centre, Department of Psychiatry, Nijmegen, the Netherlands; van Opstal — Radboud University Nijmegen, Department of Biophysics, Nijmegen and Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, Centre for Neuroscience, Nijmegen, the Netherlands; Hoekstra, Buitelaar — Karakter, Child and Adolescent Psychiatry University Centre, Nijmegen, the Netherlands
| | - Cornelis C. Kan
- Visser, Zwiers, Buitelaar — Radboud University Nijmegen, Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, Centre for Cognitive Neuroimaging, Nijmegen, the Netherlands; Visser, Zwiers, Hoekstra, Buitelaar — Radboud University Nijmegen Medical Centre, Department of Cognitive Neuroscience, Nijmegen, the Netherlands; Kan, Hoekstra — Radboud University Nijmegen Medical Centre, Department of Psychiatry, Nijmegen, the Netherlands; van Opstal — Radboud University Nijmegen, Department of Biophysics, Nijmegen and Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, Centre for Neuroscience, Nijmegen, the Netherlands; Hoekstra, Buitelaar — Karakter, Child and Adolescent Psychiatry University Centre, Nijmegen, the Netherlands
| | - Liesbeth Hoekstra
- Visser, Zwiers, Buitelaar — Radboud University Nijmegen, Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, Centre for Cognitive Neuroimaging, Nijmegen, the Netherlands; Visser, Zwiers, Hoekstra, Buitelaar — Radboud University Nijmegen Medical Centre, Department of Cognitive Neuroscience, Nijmegen, the Netherlands; Kan, Hoekstra — Radboud University Nijmegen Medical Centre, Department of Psychiatry, Nijmegen, the Netherlands; van Opstal — Radboud University Nijmegen, Department of Biophysics, Nijmegen and Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, Centre for Neuroscience, Nijmegen, the Netherlands; Hoekstra, Buitelaar — Karakter, Child and Adolescent Psychiatry University Centre, Nijmegen, the Netherlands
| | - A. John van Opstal
- Visser, Zwiers, Buitelaar — Radboud University Nijmegen, Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, Centre for Cognitive Neuroimaging, Nijmegen, the Netherlands; Visser, Zwiers, Hoekstra, Buitelaar — Radboud University Nijmegen Medical Centre, Department of Cognitive Neuroscience, Nijmegen, the Netherlands; Kan, Hoekstra — Radboud University Nijmegen Medical Centre, Department of Psychiatry, Nijmegen, the Netherlands; van Opstal — Radboud University Nijmegen, Department of Biophysics, Nijmegen and Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, Centre for Neuroscience, Nijmegen, the Netherlands; Hoekstra, Buitelaar — Karakter, Child and Adolescent Psychiatry University Centre, Nijmegen, the Netherlands
| | - Jan K. Buitelaar
- Visser, Zwiers, Buitelaar — Radboud University Nijmegen, Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, Centre for Cognitive Neuroimaging, Nijmegen, the Netherlands; Visser, Zwiers, Hoekstra, Buitelaar — Radboud University Nijmegen Medical Centre, Department of Cognitive Neuroscience, Nijmegen, the Netherlands; Kan, Hoekstra — Radboud University Nijmegen Medical Centre, Department of Psychiatry, Nijmegen, the Netherlands; van Opstal — Radboud University Nijmegen, Department of Biophysics, Nijmegen and Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, Centre for Neuroscience, Nijmegen, the Netherlands; Hoekstra, Buitelaar — Karakter, Child and Adolescent Psychiatry University Centre, Nijmegen, the Netherlands
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