Click-evoked auditory brainstem responses and autism spectrum disorder: A meta-analytic review.
Nicole M Talge, Brooke M Tudor, Paul R Kileny
PMID 29603654WHAT IT FOUND
Children with autism showed longer auditory brainstem response latencies than typically developing peers.
The effect varied widely depending on age, hearing status, and testing speed. These results suggest ABRs are not yet a reliable standalone biomarker for diagnosis.
Key findings
01ASD was associated with longer latencies for Waves III, V, I–III, and I–V compared to typically developing counterparts.
02There was significant heterogeneity in these effects, meaning the strength and direction of the association varied considerably across the included studies.
03Moderator analyses showed that effect sizes were larger in studies involving younger participants, those using DSM-IV criteria, and those excluding children with middle ear abnormalities or hearing loss.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for SLPs
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What it does not show
The included studies were almost entirely cross-sectional, so it is impossible to determine if ABR differences precede or result from ASD. There was high variability in how ASD was diagnosed and defined across the 15 studies, with only one study using gold-standard ADOS assessments. Many studies did not report on intellectual disability or perinatal health risks, which are known confounders. The low number of female participants in the included studies limits the generalizability of findings to girls and women with ASD.
Declared interests
The authors declared no conflicts of interest.
The easy way to misread this
Do not interpret the medium-to-large effect sizes as evidence that ABRs can diagnose autism. The high heterogeneity and dependence on study characteristics (like age and exclusion of hearing issues) mean this biomarker is not yet clinically reliable for individual assessment.