Role of orff music therapy in improving auditory processing skills in children with intellectual disability.

BACKGROUND: Orff Music Therapy improves auditory processing, language, and cognitive functions in children who have Intellectual Disability (ID). AIMS: In literature, there are no studies from the auditory processing skills reviewing perspective. The current study examined the role of Orff Music Therapy in terms of auditory processing skills of children who have ID. METHOD: Twenty-nine children who have ID were subjected in a 6-week Orff Music Therapy program. RESULTS: The mean musical assessment scores improved after Orff Music Therapy. The total Listening Inventory (TLI) scores before Orff Music Therapy were considered to be risky above the cut-off level for children who have ID. The criterion cutoff scores show if the child's behaviors may indicate a disorder or dysfunction. The TLI scores were reduced after Orff Music Therapy, which means there was an improvement in auditory processing skills. CONCLUSION: Auditory processing skills are essential for children who have ID. If a child who has ID has been identified as having auditory processing disorder (APD), there is a need for a proven therapeutic approach, like Orff Music Therapy. It has been considered that ID and APD can be linked in the same category of neurodevelopmental disorders.

Subcortical pathways: Towards a better understanding of auditory disorders.

Hearing loss is a significant problem that affects at least 15% of the population. This percentage, however, is likely significantly higher because of a variety of auditory disorders that are not identifiable through traditional tests of peripheral hearing ability. In these disorders, individuals have difficulty understanding speech, particularly in noisy environments, even though the sounds are loud enough to hear. The underlying mechanisms leading to such deficits are not well understood. To enable the development of suitable treatments to alleviate or prevent such disorders, the affected processing pathways must be identified. Historically, mechanisms underlying speech processing have been thought to be a property of the auditory cortex and thus the study of auditory disorders has largely focused on cortical impairments and/or cognitive processes. As we review here, however, there is strong evidence to suggest that, in fact, deficits in subcortical pathways play a significant role in auditory disorders. In this review, we highlight the role of the auditory brainstem and midbrain in processing complex sounds and discuss how deficits in these regions may contribute to auditory dysfunction. We discuss current research with animal models of human hearing and then consider human studies that implicate impairments in subcortical processing that may contribute to auditory disorders.

Evidence-based interventions of dichotic listening training, compensatory strategies and combined therapies in managing pupils with auditory processing disorders.

OBJECTIVE: The need to develop a measure of managing children with a single profile of auditory processing disorders (APDs), and differentiate between true and artefactual improvements necessitated the study. The study also sought to determine the efficacy of interventions - both single and combined on APD, against no-treatment. DESIGN: A randomised controlled trial of interventions (RCT) was adopted. Participants were randomly allocated to each of the intervention groups or the no intervention group. The 10 weeks intervention included 45 minutes three times a week therapeutic intervention on listening with noise and sound localisation ability in the home and school environments. STUDY SAMPLE: 80 pupils (7-11 years) with a single profile of APD participated in the study. RESULTS: Treatments were effective on the cocktail party and sound localisation. The best result was realised with the combined therapy (CT), and there was no significant difference in performance in the remaining treatment groups. CONCLUSION: The intervention groups were beneficial to pupils with APD and should be adopted by clinicians.

[Musical abilities in children with an auditory processing disorder]. / Musikalische Fähigkeiten bei Kindern mit auditiver Verarbeitungs- und Wahrnehmungsstörung.

Objective Difficulties in solving musical tasks are observed in clinical practice in children with an auditory processing disorder (APD). There is a paucity of research on musical ability in children with an APD. Material and Methods To assess musical skills we had 15 children aged 6-11 years with the diagnosis of APD perform a test, and compared them to a control group of 15 children. Results APD children did significantly worse in pitch discrimination, reproduction of rhythm and singing. Correlations between language-based and musical skills in the APD-group were observed. Conclusions Greater attention should be paid to musical skills in APD diagnostics. The positive impact of musical training on language development and cognitive abilities in general has been demonstrated in numerous studies. Musical training should be the focus of further discussion for therapeutic methods of APD in the presence of musical deficits.

Eficacia de las intervenciones para el tratamiento de la dislexia: una revisión / Effectiveness of interventions for the treatment of dyslexia: a review

En este informe se revisa la investigación que respalda distintas intervenciones para el tratamiento de la dislexia, concretamente los trabajos de síntesis, en especial síntesis de las mejores evidencias, revisiones sistemáticas o metaanálisis publicados sobre cada tipo de intervención. En los casos en que no se ha publicado ningún trabajo de síntesis o estos trabajos son antiguos, se hace una revisión de la investigación primaria. Los trabajos localizados indican que los métodos fonológicos de intervención en la dislexia, es decir, aquellos en los que se combina el entrenamiento en habilidades fonológicas con el conocimiento de las letras y la práctica de la lectura, están ampliamente respaldados por la investigación. En cambio, la investigación sobre otros sistemas es sumamente escasa, ofrece resultados contradictorios o indica que se trata de sistemas ineficaces. Las intervenciones que están en estas situaciones son: la integración auditiva, el entrenamiento auditivo con soporte informático, la terapia visual, las lentes tintadas, el entrenamiento perceptivo-motor, las técnicas quiroprácticas, la integración sensorial, el método Davis, el neurofeedback, la musicoterapia y la educación musical o las dietas y suplementos alimenticios. A partir de esta revisión se realizan las siguientes recomendaciones: promocionar las intervenciones de tipo fonológico para el tratamiento de la dislexia, no utilizar o recomendar intervenciones que no estén respaldadas por la investigación científica, que los métodos de intervención que no hayan probado su eficacia no reciban el nombre de «terapia» o «tratamiento», y la creación y difusión de una guía sobre intervención en dislexia basada en evidencias científicas (AU)

In this report the research that supports various interventions for the treatment of dyslexia is revised, specifically the works of synthesis, especially synthesis of best evidence, systematic reviews or meta-analyses published about each type of intervention. A review of primary research is made in cases in which no synthesis work has been published or where these works are old. Localised works indicate that the phonological methods of intervention in dyslexia, i.e. those in which training in phonological skills is combined with knowledge of letters and the practice of reading, are widely supported by research. However, research on other methods is either extremely scarce or it offers conflicting results or it leads to the conclusion that they are inefficient methods. Interventions in this situation are: the auditory integration, the auditory training with computer support, visual therapy, the tinted lenses, motor-perceptual training, chiropractic techniques, sensory integration, the Davis method, neurofeedback, music therapy and music education or diets and dietary supplements. Promotion of phonological interventions is recommended; it is necessary to avoid recommendations of intervention methods for dyslexia which are not supported by scientific research; methods of intervention that have not proven their effectiveness may not be presented as therapies or treatments; and the creation and distribution of a guide on intervention in dyslexia based on scientific evidence is recommended (AU)

Efeitos do treinamento auditivo computadorizado em crianças com distúrbio do processamento auditivo e sistema fonológico típico e atípico / Effects of computerized auditory training in children with auditory processing disorder and typical and atypical phonological system

RESUMO Objetivo: Investigar os efeitos do treinamento auditivo computadorizado (TAC) por meio da análise do desempenho em testes comportamentais e da Escala de Funcionamento Auditivo (SAB), em crianças com distúrbio do processamento auditivo (DPA) e sistema fonológico típico e atípico. Métodos: Participaram 14 crianças com DPA, sete crianças com DPA e aquisição fonológica típica (G1) e sete com DPA e aquisição fonológica atípica (G2). Foi realizada a avaliação comportamental do processamento auditivo com o Teste de Detecção de Intervalo Aleatório (RGDT), Teste de Inteligibilidade Pediátrica (PSI), Teste Dicótico Não Verbal (TDNV) e Escala de Funcionamento Auditivo (SAB). Para composição dos grupos realizou-se a Avaliação Fonológica da Criança. A intervenção terapêutica foi realizada por meio do software Escuta Ativa, com 12 sessões, duas vezes por semana. Utilizou-se testes estatísticos adequados. Resultados: No desempenho nos testes comportamentais do processamento auditivo (PA), pré-TAC e pós-TAC, o resultado foi significativo no RGDT e TDNV, etapa de escuta direcionada à esquerda em ambos os grupos e TDNV à direita apenas no G2. Houve correlação positiva entre SAB e algumas condições de escuta do teste PSI em ambos os grupos, tanto pré-TAC quanto pós-TAC, além de correlação negativa entre a SAB e o teste RGDT pós-TAC, no grupo com aquisição fonológica típica e DPA. A SAB mostrou-se um instrumento útil para mensurar o efeito do TAC. Conclusão: O TAC mostrou-se eficaz para melhorar/adequar os processos gnósicos auditivos em escolares dos grupos estudados. Houve correlação entre os testes comportamentais e o escore na SAB.

ABSTRACT Purpose: To investigate the effects of computerized auditory training (CAT) through performance analysis of behavioral tests and Scale of Auditory Behaviors (SAB), in children with Auditory Processing Disorder (APD) and typical and atypical phonological system. Methods: Forteen children with APD, seven children with APD and typical phonological acquisition (G1) and seven with APD and atypical phonological acquisition (G2) participated. It was performed an auditory processing behavioral evaluation with Random Gap Detection Test (RGDT), Pediatric Speech Intelligibility test (PSI), Nonverbal Dichotic Test (NVDT) and SAB. For composition of the groups it was performed a Child Phonological Assessment. The therapeutic intervention was performed using the Escuta Ativa software, with 12 sessions held twice a week. Appropriate statistical tests were used. Results: In the performance in behavioral tests of auditory processing (AP), pre-and post-CAT, there was a significant result in RGDT and NVDT, hearing stage directed to the left in both groups and NVDT to the right only in G2. There was a positive correlation between SAB and some listening conditions of the PSI test in both groups, including pre and post-CAT. Moreover, there was a negative correlation between SAB and the RGDT test post-CAT in the group with typical phonological acquisition and APD. SAB proved to be a useful tool to measure the effect of CAT. Conclusion: CAT was effective to improve/adapt the gnosis auditory processes in the studied school groups. There was a correlation between behavioral tests and the score in the SAB.

From amusic to musical?--Improving pitch memory in congenital amusia with transcranial alternating current stimulation.

Brain imaging studies highlighted structural differences in congenital amusia, a life-long perceptual disorder that is associated with pitch perception and pitch memory deficits. A functional anomaly characterized by decreased low gamma oscillations (30-40 Hz range) in the right dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) during pitch memory has been revealed recently. Thus, the present study investigates whether applying transcranial alternating current stimulation (tACS) at 35 Hz to the right DLPFC would improve pitch memory. Nine amusics took part in two tACS sessions (either 35 Hz or 90 Hz) and completed a pitch and visual memory task before and during stimulation. 35 Hz stimulation facilitated pitch memory significantly. No modulation effects were found with 90 Hz stimulation or on the visual task. While amusics showed a selective impairment of pitch memory before stimulation, the performance during 35 Hz stimulation was not significantly different to healthy controls anymore. Taken together, the study shows that modulating the right DLPFC with 35 Hz tACS in congenital amusia selectively improves pitch memory performance supporting the hypothesis that decreased gamma oscillations within the DLPFC are causally involved in disturbed pitch memory and highlight the potential use of tACS to interact with cognitive processes.

Serial auditory-evoked potentials in the diagnosis and monitoring of a child with Landau-Kleffner syndrome.

BACKGROUND: A boy, aged 2 1/2 yr, experienced sudden deterioration of speech and language abilities. He saw multiple medical professionals across 2 yr. By almost 5 yr, his vocabulary diminished from 50 words to 4, and he was referred to our speech and hearing center. PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to heighten awareness of Landau-Kleffner syndrome (LKS) and emphasize the importance of an objective test battery that includes serial auditory-evoked potentials (AEPs) to audiologists who often are on the front lines of diagnosis and treatment delivery when faced with a child experiencing unexplained loss of the use of speech and language. RESEARCH DESIGN: Clinical report. RESULTS: Interview revealed a family history of seizure disorder. Normal social behaviors were observed. Acoustic reflexes and otoacoustic emissions were consistent with normal peripheral auditory function. The child could not complete behavioral audiometric testing or auditory processing tests, so serial AEPs were used to examine central nervous system function. Normal auditory brainstem responses, a replicable Na and absent Pa of the middle latency responses, and abnormal slow cortical potentials suggested dysfunction of auditory processing at the cortical level. The child was referred to a neurologist, who confirmed LKS. At age 7 1/2 yr, after 2 1/2 yr of antiepileptic medications, electroencephalographic (EEG) and audiometric measures normalized. Presently, the child communicates manually with limited use of oral information. CONCLUSIONS: Audiologists often are one of the first professionals to assess children with loss of speech and language of unknown origin. Objective, noninvasive, serial AEPs are a simple and valuable addition to the central audiometric test battery when evaluating a child with speech and language regression. The inclusion of these tests will markedly increase the chance for early and accurate referral, diagnosis, and monitoring of a child with LKS which is imperative for a positive prognosis.

Effects of dopaminergic and subthalamic stimulation on musical performance.

Although subthalamic-deep brain stimulation (STN-DBS) is an efficient treatment for Parkinson's disease (PD), its effects on fine motor functions are not clear. We present the case of a professional violinist with PD treated with STN-DBS. DBS improved musical articulation, intonation and emotional expression and worsened timing relative to a timekeeper (metronome). The same effects were found for dopaminergic treatment. These results suggest that STN-DBS, mimicking the effects of dopaminergic stimulation, improves fine-tuned motor behaviour whilst impairing timing precision.

Efficacy of auditory training using the auditory brainstem response to complex sounds: auditory processing disorder and specific language impairment.

OBJECTIVES: This study verified the efficacy of a formal auditory training (AT) program in children with hearing and language disorders using the auditory brainstem response to complex sounds (c-ABR) with and without background noise. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Thirty children (7-13 years) were distributed into four groups: typical development (TD: n = 7), auditory processing disorder (APD: n = 9) and specific language disorder (SLIa: n = 6, and SLIb: n = 8). All children underwent behavioral assessment of auditory processing and c-ABR with and without background noise. The APD and SLIa groups underwent 8 weeks of formal AT, but all children were reevaluated 12 weeks after the initial assessment. RESULTS: The TD group presented better behavioral performance than the other groups. For c-ABR in silence, no significant differences were observed among groups or assessments, except regarding VA complex measures, which were altered in the APD group. For c-ABR with background noise, however, the APD, SLIa and SLIb groups presented delayed latencies. Groups that underwent formal AT improved behavioral performance and decreased latencies to c-ABR in background noise at final assessment. CONCLUSIONS: These data suggest that efficacy of formal AT can be demonstrated by c-ABR with background noise.

Congenital amusia persists in the developing brain after daily music listening.

Congenital amusia is a neurodevelopmental disorder that affects about 3% of the adult population. Adults experiencing this musical disorder in the absence of macroscopically visible brain injury are described as cases of congenital amusia under the assumption that the musical deficits have been present from birth. Here, we show that this disorder can be expressed in the developing brain. We found that (10-13 year-old) children exhibit a marked deficit in the detection of fine-grained pitch differences in both musical and acoustical context in comparison to their normally developing peers comparable in age and general intelligence. This behavioral deficit could be traced down to their abnormal P300 brain responses to the detection of subtle pitch changes. The altered pattern of electrical activity does not seem to arise from an anomalous functioning of the auditory cortex, because all early components of the brain potentials, the N100, the MMN, and the P200 appear normal. Rather, the brain and behavioral measures point to disrupted information propagation from the auditory cortex to other cortical regions. Furthermore, the behavioral and neural manifestations of the disorder remained unchanged after 4 weeks of daily musical listening. These results show that congenital amusia can be detected in childhood despite regular musical exposure and normal intellectual functioning.

La transposición frecuencial. Incidencia en las habilidades de identificación y el reconocimiento auditivo en jóvenes con pérdidas auditivas profundas / Frequency transposition. Impact on identification skills, auditory comprehension, and voice quality in young adults with profound hearing loss

A partir de la necesidad de facilitar la percepción de los rasgos acústicos más agudos de los fonemas del habla, se presenta un estudio sobre los cambios observados en un grupo de jóvenes con discapacidad auditiva severa-profunda, después de utilizar la transposición frecuencial proporcionada por unos audífonos digitales Mind440-19, mediante el extensor de audibilidad. La muestra del estudio la constituyó un grupo de 7jóvenes con edades comprendidas entre los 13 y los 25años, divididos en dos grupos, en función de su configuración audiométrica. El primer grupo estuvo formado por 4participantes con una pérdida auditiva promedio de 99dB. El segundo grupo presentó una pérdida mayor, con un promedio de 105 dB para ambos oídos. El beneficio de la transposición frecuencial se comprobó mediante una batería de pruebas que incluía el test de Ling, un test de identificación y otro de reconocimiento de palabras. Las pruebas fueron administradas después de 4, 8 y 12semanas de emplear los nuevos audífonos y se compararon con los resultados obtenidos con los anteriores audífonos empleados por los participantes en este estudio, sin el extensor de audibilidad activado (AU)

Based on the need to enhance perception of more high-pitched acoustic features of speech phonemes, we present this study on the changes observed in a group of young people with severe-profound hearing impairment after trialling the frequency transposition technology of the Mind440-19 hearing aid, using the Audibility Extender. The sample of the study was a group of 7young people with ages ranging from 13 to 25years, divided into two groups based on their audiometric configuration. The first group consisted of 4subjects with a mean pure tone of 99dB. The second group had more profound hearing loss, with a mean pure tone of 105dB in both ears. Frequency transposition benefit was measured through a test battery including Ling's test, an identification test and a word recognition test. Tests were administered after 4, 8, and 12weeks of hearing aid use, and compared with results from the previous hearing aids used by the participants, with their Audibility Extender off (AU)

From fragments to the whole: a comparison between cochlear implant users and normal-hearing listeners in music perception and enjoyment.

BACKGROUND: Cochlear implants (CIs) allow many profoundly deaf individuals to regain speech understanding. However, the ability to understand speech does not necessarily guarantee music enjoyment. Enabling a CI user to recover the ability to perceive and enjoy the complexity of music remains a challenge determined by many factors. OBJECTIVES: (1) To construct a novel, attention-based, diagnostic software tool (Music EAR) for the assessment of music enjoyment and perception and (2) to compare the results among three listener groups. METHODS: Thirty-six subjects completed the Music EAR assessment tool: 12 normal-hearing musicians (NHMs), 12 normal-hearing nonmusicians (NHnMs), and 12 CI listeners. Subjects were required to (1) rate enjoyment of musical excerpts at three complexity levels; (2) differentiate five instrumental timbres; (3) recognize pitch pattern variation; and (4) identify target musical patterns embedded holistically in a melody. RESULTS: Enjoyment scores for CI users were comparable to those for NHMs and superior to those for NHnMs and revealed that implantees enjoyed classical music most. CI users performed significantly poorer in all categories of music perception compared to normal-hearing listeners. Overall CI user scores were lowest in those tasks requiring increased attention. Two high-performing subjects matched or outperformed NHnMs in pitch and timbre perception tasks. CONCLUSIONS: The Music EAR assessment tool provides a unique approach to the measurement of music perception and enjoyment in CI users. Together with auditory training evidence, the results provide considerable hope for further recovery of music appreciation through methodical rehabilitation.

Effect of nonlinguistic auditory training on phonological and reading skills.

OBJECTIVE: To analyze the effect of nonverbal auditory training on reading and phonological awareness tasks in children with dyslexia and the effect of age in relation to post-training learning considering the ages from 7 to 14. METHODS: In experiment 1, one group with dyslexia (total = 12) was trained and compared with a group of untrained dyslexic subjects (total = 28). In experiment 2, the performance of the trained dyslexic group (total = 18) was compared at three different moments: 2 months before, at the beginning, and at the end of training. Training was carried out for 2 months using a computer program responsible for training discrimination skills. RESULTS: The group receiving nonverbal auditory training demonstrated significant improvements (mainly for the group from 7 to 10 years old), not only in the nonverbal auditory skills trained (p < 0.001), but also in phonological awareness syllable tasks (synthesis, segmentation, manipulation and syllable transposition) in experiment 1 (p < 0.003), and phonemic tasks (p < 0.001) and text reading (p < 0.001) in experiment 2. CONCLUSION: The results suggest a link between verbal and nonverbal skills, in addition to corroborating studies regarding the existence of a critical learning period.

When top-down meets bottom-up: auditory training enhances verbal memory in schizophrenia.

A critical research priority for our field is to develop treatments that enhance cognitive functioning in schizophrenia and thereby attenuate the functional losses associated with the illness. In this article, we describe such a treatment method that is grounded in emerging research on the widespread sensory processing impairments of schizophrenia, as described elsewhere in this special issue. We first present the rationale for this treatment approach, which consists of cognitive training exercises that make use of principles derived from the past 2 decades of basic science research in learning-induced neuroplasticity; these exercises explicitly target not only the higher order or "top-down" processes of cognition but also the content building blocks of accurate and efficient sensory representations to simultaneously achieve "bottom-up" remediation. We then summarize our experience to date and briefly review our behavioral and serum biomarker findings from a randomized controlled trial of this method in outpatients with long-term symptoms of schizophrenia. Finally, we present promising early psychophysiological evidence that supports the hypothesis that this cognitive training method induces changes in aspects of impaired bottom-up sensory processing in schizophrenia. We conclude with the observation that neuroplasticity-based cognitive training brings patients closer to physiological patterns seen in healthy participants, suggesting that it changes the brain in an adaptive manner in schizophrenia.

Comparison of music perception in bilateral and unilateral cochlear implant users and normal-hearing subjects.

Music plays an important role in the daily life of cochlear implant (CI) users, but electrical hearing and speech processing pose challenges for enjoying music. Studies of unilateral CI (UCI) users' music perception have found that these subjects have little difficulty recognizing tempo and rhythm but great difficulty with pitch, interval and melody. The present study is an initial step towards understanding music perception in bilateral CI (BCI) users. The Munich Music Questionnaire was used to investigate music listening habits and enjoyment in 23 BCI users compared to 2 control groups: 23 UCI users and 23 normal-hearing (NH) listeners. Bilateral users appeared to have a number of advantages over unilateral users, though their enjoyment of music did not reach the level of NH listeners.

Auditory processing disorder in children with reading disabilities: effect of audiovisual training.

Reading disability is associated with phonological problems which might originate in auditory processing disorders. The aim of the present study was 2-fold: first, the perceptual skills of average-reading children and children with dyslexia were compared in a categorical perception task assessing the processing of a phonemic contrast based on voice onset time (VOT). The medial olivocochlear (MOC) system, an inhibitory pathway functioning under central control, was also explored. Secondly, we investigated whether audiovisual training focusing on voicing contrast could modify VOT sensitivity and, in parallel, induce MOC system plasticity. The results showed an altered voicing sensitivity in some children with dyslexia, and that the most severely impaired children presented the most severe reading difficulties. These deficits in VOT perception were sometimes accompanied by MOC function abnormalities, in particular a reduction in or even absence of the asymmetry in favour of the right ear found in average-reading children. Audiovisual training significantly improved reading and shifted the categorical perception curve of certain children with dyslexia towards the average-reading children's pattern of voicing sensitivity. Likewise, in certain children MOC functioning showed increased asymmetry in favour of the right ear following audiovisual training. The training-related improvements in reading score were greatest in children presenting the greatest changes in MOC lateralization. Taken together, these results confirm the notion that some auditory system processing mechanisms are impaired in children with dyslexia and that audiovisual training can diminish these deficits.

Enriched acoustic environment rescales auditory sensitivity.

Loudness perception may be controlled by a central gain, possibly dependent on the mean level of the acoustic environment. Owing to hearing loss, for instance, a decrease in sensory inputs could increase this central gain and cause an auditory hypersensitivity or hyperacusis. According to this model, individuals with hyperacusis, provided with an enriched acoustic environment specifically designed to compensate for the decrease in sensory inputs, should show an improvement in their hyperacusis. This study showed that such an enriched acoustic environment indeed decreased auditory hypersensitivity: stimuli initially considered as being too loud became comfortable after a few weeks of acoustic stimulation. Therefore, this original approach could provide a solution to the problem of hyperacusis.

Auditory integration training and facilitated communication for autism. American Academy of Pediatrics. Committee on Children with Disabilities.

This statement reviews the basis for two new therapies for autism-auditory integration training and facilitative communication. Both therapies seek to improve communication skills. Currently available information does not support the claims of proponents that these treatments are efficacious. Their use does not appear warranted at this time, except within research protocols.

The long-term effects of auditory training on children with autism.

Eighty children, 3-17 years of age, with autism or Asperger syndrome and mild to severe distress in the presence of some sounds, were randomly allocated to two groups. The experimental group received auditory training and the control group listened to the same unmodified music under the same conditions. Significant improvements in behavior and severity of autism were maintained for 12 months by both groups. Informal data suggested that a range of abnormal responses to sound and other sensory abnormalities may also have improved. Verbal and performance IQ increased significantly 3 to 12 months after interventions. Findings suggest that some aspect of both auditory training and listening to selected unmodified music may have a beneficial effect on children with autism and sound sensitivity, and indicate a need for further research into the effects that led to these changes and the mechanisms involved in the sensory abnormalities commonly associated with autism.