The Efficacy of Auditory Integration Training

Abstract

The present study evaluates the efficacy of auditory integration training (AIT) in a population with multiple handicaps using a double blind experimental design. Thirty residents of a habilitation institute who had multiple handicaps received AIT over a 10-day period. Changes in hearing sensitivity and loudness tolerance, as measured audiometrically, and behavior, as measured by the Aberrant Behavior Checklist (ABC), were evaluated at discrete intervals from 1 week to 9 months post-AIT. Post-AIT data were then compared to pre-AIT data to determine if changes occurred in either hearing or behavior that could be attributed to the experimental stimulus (AIT). We found no significant difference in hearing threshold or loudness tolerance following AIT. Slight improvement in behavior was seen in both the treatment group and the control group, suggesting that factors other than AIT were responsible for behavioral improvement.