Auditory Processing and Speech-Sound Disorders

Abstract

Background: Speech-sound disorders (SSD) have been linked to auditory processing difficulties, and auditory processing disorders (APD) have been related to phonological awareness and literacy development. To this date, there has not been a systematic literature review investigating the results of psychophysiology and language assessments related to SSD and APD in children. Methods: The literature search was conducted in PubMed, Medline EBSCO, and Scopus to identify studies with children diagnosed/suspected of having APDs and SSDs. The quality of methodology in the selected articles was evaluated with the Newcastle Ottawa Scale. Results: Seven out of 378 relevant studies met the selection criteria. The findings were summarized for children with SSD and APD based on (a) metalinguistic and literacy skills, (b) cognitive abilities, and (c) temporal processing abilities. Three articles indicated that children with APD and SSD exhibit lower temporal task accuracy and reaction time. In two studies, children with SSD exhibited lower scores in discrimination, sequencing, and recall of brief stimuli in rapid succession. Conclusions: This review revealed associations between SSD severity and APD that may underline low performance in metalinguistic skills. Diagnostic assessments have been proposed based on the review to adequately identify children with SSD and APD and provide useful information for more suitable intervention.