Exploring auditory perception experiences in daily situations in autistic adults.
Elena Sofia Silva, Linda Drijvers, James P Trujillo
PMID 41236907WHAT IT FOUND
Autistic adults, whether clinically diagnosed or self-identifying, reported significantly more difficulty understanding speech in daily life compared to non-autistic adults.
These speech difficulties were worse than challenges with locating sounds or judging sound quality, suggesting a specific barrier to communication that standard hearing tests may miss.
Key findings
01Both clinically diagnosed and self-identifying autistic adults reported lower overall hearing scores and significantly lower speech hearing scores compared to non-autistic participants.
02Within the autistic groups, speech hearing was rated as more difficult than spatial hearing or general sound quality, a pattern not seen in the non-autistic group.
03There was no significant difference in auditory perception scores between those with a clinical autism diagnosis and those who self-identify, supporting the inclusion of self-identifying individuals in research.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for OTsWhat it means for SLPs
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What it does not show
The study relies entirely on self-report; no behavioral auditory tests were performed to verify the perceived difficulties. The self-identifying group was small (n=18) and not verified by standardized screening tools, which may affect the generalizability of findings for this subgroup. The questionnaire was administered in English to a linguistically diverse sample, though the authors argue the items test general auditory scenes rather than language-specific skills. Participants were recruited online without financial compensation, which may introduce selection bias.
Declared interests
The authors declared no financial support for the research and no potential conflicts of interest.
The easy way to misread this
Do not assume that normal audiogram results rule out significant hearing difficulties in autistic adults. This study found that autistic individuals reported substantial trouble understanding speech in daily life despite having no reported hearing impairment, suggesting a central auditory processing or attentional issue that peripheral hearing tests do not detect.
Summarised by AI from the full paper, without a clinician reviewing it. Check it against the source before it changes what you do. Read it on PubMed →