Auditory integration training for children with autism: no behavioral benefits detected. A randomized controlled trial of group cognitive-behavioral therapy vs. enhanced supportive therapy for auditory hallucinations. Brief report: the effects of Tomatis sound therapy on language in children with autism. The long-term effects of auditory training on children with autism.
Auditory integration training and a control treatment were provided for 16 children with autism in a crossover experimental design. Measures, blind to treatment order, included parent and teacher ratings of behavior, direct observational recordings, IQ, language, and social/adaptive tests. Significant differences tended to show that the control condition was superior on parent-rated measures of hyperactivity and on direct observational measures of ear-occlusion. No differences were detected on teacher-rated measures. Children's IQs and language comprehension did not increase, but adaptive/social behavior scores and expressive language quotients decreased. The majority of parents (56%) were unable to report in retrospect when their child had received auditory integration training. No individual child was identified as benefiting clinically or educationally from the treatment. There has been little research examining group cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) for schizophrenia, especially compared to an active control treatment. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effectiveness of group CBT for auditory hallucinations compared to an enhanced supportive therapy (ST). Sixty five participants with schizophrenia spectrum disorders and persistent hallucinations were randomly assigned to group CBT or enhanced group ST. Primary outcomes focused on beliefs about voices and global auditory hallucinations severity. Secondary outcomes included psychotic symptoms, self-esteem, social functioning, insight, depression, and hospitalization. Controlling for baseline levels, these outcomes were evaluated across post-treatment, 3 month and 12 month follow-ups. Participants who received enhanced ST were less likely to both resist voices and to rate them as less malevolent through 12-month follow-up relative to participants who received CBT. Group CBT was associated with lower general and total symptom scores on the PANSS through 12-month-followup relative to participants who received enhanced ST. Outcomes improved through 12-month follow-up in both therapy groups, with enhanced ST having more specific impact on auditory hallucinations, and CBT impacting general psychotic symptoms. Due to the myriad of problems associated with autism, parents often consider alternative treatments. The investigation was undertaken to determine the effects of the Tomatis Method on language skills in children with autism utilizing a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, crossover design. The results indicated that although the majority of the children demonstrated general improvement in language over the course of the study, it did not appear to be related to the treatment condition. The percent change for Group 1 (Placebo/Treatment) for treatment was 17.41%, and placebo was 24.84%. Group 2 (Treatment/Placebo) showed -3.98% change for treatment and 14.15% change for placebo. The results reflect a lack of improvement in language using the Tomatis Method for children with autism. Eighty children, 3-17 years of age, with autism or Asperger syndrome and mild to severe distress in the presence of some sounds, were randomly allocated to two groups. The experimental group received auditory training and the control group listened to the same unmodified music under the same conditions. Significant improvements in behavior and severity of autism were maintained for 12 months by both groups. Informal data suggested that a range of abnormal responses to sound and other sensory abnormalities may also have improved. Verbal and performance IQ increased significantly 3 to 12 months after interventions. Findings suggest that some aspect of both auditory training and listening to selected unmodified music may have a beneficial effect on children with autism and sound sensitivity, and indicate a need for further research into the effects that led to these changes and the mechanisms involved in the sensory abnormalities commonly associated with autism.
There is no evidence that auditory integration therapy or other sound therapies are effective as treatments for autism spectrum disorders. As synthesis of existing data has been limited by the disparate outcome measures used between studies, there is not sufficient evidence to prove that this treatment is not effective. However, of the seven studies including 182 participants that have been reported to date, only two (with an author in common), involving a total of 35 participants, report statistically significant improvements in the auditory intergration therapy group and for only two outcome measures (Aberrant Behaviour Checklist and Fisher's Auditory Problems Checklist). As such, there is no evidence to support the use of auditory integration therapy at this time.