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Macquarie Centre for Cognitive Science

Sound Training Study

The NHMRC-funded MACCS Sound Training Study tested three controversial issues about sound processing in specific reading disability (SRD, also called developmental dyslexia) and specific language impairment (SLI). The first was whether some children with SRD or SLI have atypical sound processing. The second was whether atypical sound processing can be normalised with training. The third was whether normalising atypical sound processing improves poor reading or poor spoken language.

Soundspod training softwareSixty-five children with SRD, 25 children with SLI, and 37 age-matched untrained controls were tested for their reading and spoken language skills, as well as their behavioural responses and N1-P2 brain responses (event-related potentials) to four types of sounds: frequency discrimination, rapid auditory processing, vowel discrimination, or consonant-vowel discrimination. Twenty-eight children with SRD or SLI had atypical behavioural responses to at least one type of sound for their age. These children were trained to discriminate that sound for 30 minutes per day, 4 days per week, for 6 weeks. After the training period, these trainees and the untrained controls were retested for their behavioural and brain responses to the same sounds, as well as for their reading and spoken language skills (immediate training effect). After a 6-week break, the trainees were retested again on all these tests (delayed effect).

The results of this study showed that (1) 30- 40% of children with SRD or SLI had atypical behavioural responses or atypical brain responses to at least one type of sound, (2) training normalised atypical behavioural responses to the sounds but not atypical N1-P2 brain responses to sounds, and (3) improving children’s atypical behavioural responses to the sounds had no beneficial knock-on effect on their poor reading or poor spoken language. These results suggest that training school-aged children with SRD or SLI for their auditory processing skills alone will not improve their poor reading or poor spoken language.

Genevieve and HedwigPublications

McArthur, G.M., Ellis, D., Atkinson, C., & Coltheart, M. (2008). Auditory processing deficits in children with reading and language impairments: Can they (and should they) be treated? Cognition, 107, 946-977.

McArthur, G.M. (2009). Auditory processing disorders: Can they be treated? Current Opinion in Neurology, 22, 137-143.

McArthur, G.M. (2008). Does What Works Clearinghouse work? A brief review of Fast ForWord TM. Australasian Journal of Special Education, 32, 101-107.

McArthur, G.M., Ellis, D., & Atkinson, C. (2009). Atypical brain responses to sounds in children with language and reading impairments. Developmental Science. DOI: 10.1111/j.1467-7687.2008.00804.x.

McArthur, G. (2007). Test-Retest Effects in Treatment Studies of Reading Disability: The Devil is in the Detail. Dyslexia, 13, 240-252.

Supported By

NHMRC Project Grant (2003 - 2006) Auditory processing in specific language impairment and specific reading disability: Their effects and treatment McArthur, G., & Coltheart, M. ($295,000)

NHMRC Howard Florey Centenary Fellowship (2003 - 2005) "Auditory processing in specific language impairment and specific reading disability: Their effects and treatment". McArthur, G. ($158,500)

Research Infrastructure Block Grant (2004) "A 32 channel electroencephalogram (EEG) and event-related potential (ERP) research laboratory" McArthur, G., Coltheart, M., Cupples, L., Green, M., Kinoshita, S., Langdon, R., Newall, P., Palermo R., & Rossell, S. ($65,000)

Macquarie University Visiting Scholar Fellowship (2006) Understanding developmental disorders of language, reading, spelling and face recognition. McArthur, G., Coltheart, M., et al. ($4,450)

Need more information?

Information about the study can be obtained from:

Dr Genevieve McArthur
Macquarie Centre for Cognitive Science,
Macquarie University,
Sydney, NSW, 2109
Australia.
Telephone: (02) 9850 9599
Fax: (02) 9850 6059