| چکیده انگلیسی مقاله |
Objectives: Auditory processing disorder (APD) tests, based on the deviation of results from standard benchmarks, can distinguish children suspected of having APD. Some of these tests directly relate to the ability to discriminate the pitch of sound, while others may be indirectly affected. Can these effects alter the diagnostic results of APD tests? In this research, we aim to investigate the impact of pitch discrimination-based rehabilitation on diagnostic indices of APD tests.
Materials and Methods: In this study, we selected nineteen children suspected of APD who were identified based on tests of pitch pattern, dichotic digits, and monaural selective auditory attention as the intervention group. These children received pitch discrimination-based training, about three months, two to three sessions a week, each session maximum one hour and after completing the rehabilitation phases, diagnostic tests were administered again. We also selected twenty-six children with similar diagnostic criteria for APD as the control group. No intervention was applied to this group, and after a comparable period to the intervention group, diagnostic tests were re-administered. The results before and after the interventions were compared within the intervention group and with the twenty-six children in the control group.
Results: The rehabilitation results showed significant improvements in the pitch pattern and monaural selective auditory attention tests. In the monaural selective auditory attention test, significant improvements were observed for both ears (P-Value=0.001). In the pitch pattern test, effective improvements were also observed for both ears (P-Value=0.001). The effects were such that nearly 37% of children suspected of APD, based on the diagnostic criteria used in the study, no longer met the criteria for this disorder. This means that if the same tests are re-administered to them, these children will be diagnosed as having no auditory processing disorder. |