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Weighting of Visual and Auditory Stimuli in Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders

Rybarczyk, Aubrey Rachel
http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1459977848

Abstract Details

2016, Master of Arts, Ohio State University, Speech Language Pathology.
Word learning requires the ability to integrate auditory information (e.g., an object’s name—the label) and visual information (e.g., an object itself—the referent). Previous research has shown that children with typical development preferentially weight auditory information when auditory-visual stimuli is placed into conflict and that this weighting is advantageous for word learning. Children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) are described as visual learners; however, no comparable test has been administered to children with ASD. The purpose of this study is to determine whether children with ASD follow the same pattern of information processing as children who are typically developing. In the present study, four children with ASD and four typically-developing (TD) children matched to the children with ASD on the basis of receptive language abilities were tested on a computerized preferential looking task. During the computerized task, the children were presented with auditory-visual stimuli on a television screen and trained to look for an auditory-visual “prize” that appeared in specific locations corresponding with the stimulus presented. The children’s eye gazes were recorded and coded frame-by-frame. Given the evidence of children with ASD’s relative strength in visual processing, it was predicted that the children with ASD would differ from their receptive-vocabulary mates and give greater weight to the visual component of auditory-visual stimuli. Study findings did not support this prediction; the majority of participants with typical development weighted visual information, while participants with ASD demonstrated no stimulus preference as a group. These findings call into question the commonly held assumption that all children with ASD are “visual learners.” Additionally, the cognitive and linguistic profiles of the participants with ASD (determined via scores on standardized assessments of cognition and language) revealed that stronger cognitive skills were associated with stronger language skills, regardless of stimulus preference.
Allison F. Bean Ellawadi, PhD, CCC-SLP (Advisor)
Rebecca J. McCauley, PhD, CCC-SLP (Committee Member)
44 p.
Developmental Psychology; Psychology; Speech Therapy
autism; autism spectrum disorders; autism spectrum disorder; ASD; language development; word learning; processing; cognition; auditory processing; visual processing; auditory visual processing

Recommended Citations

Citations

  • Rybarczyk, A. R. (2016). Weighting of Visual and Auditory Stimuli in Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders [Master's thesis, Ohio State University]. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1459977848

    APA Style (7th edition)

  • Rybarczyk, Aubrey. Weighting of Visual and Auditory Stimuli in Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders. 2016. Ohio State University, Master's thesis. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center, http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1459977848.

    MLA Style (8th edition)

  • Rybarczyk, Aubrey. "Weighting of Visual and Auditory Stimuli in Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders." Master's thesis, Ohio State University, 2016. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1459977848

    Chicago Manual of Style (17th edition)

osu1459977848
729
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This open access ETD is published by The Ohio State University and OhioLINK.