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Abstract
Objective: One type of test commonly used to assess auditory processing disorder (APD) is the ‘filtered words test’ (FWT), in which a monaural, low-redundancy speech sample is distorted by using filtering to modify its frequency content. One limitation of the various existing FWTs is that they are performed using a constant level of low-pass filtering, making them prone to ceiling and floor effects that compromise their efficiency and accuracy. A recently developed computer-based test, the University of Canterbury Adaptive Speech Test- Filtered Words (UCAST-FW), uses an adaptive procedure intended to improve the efficiency and sensitivity of the test over its constant-level counterparts. Design: The UCAST-FW was administered to school-aged children to investigate the ability of the test to distinguish between children with and without APD. Study sample: Fifteen children aged 7–13 diagnosed with APD, and an aged-matched control group of 10 children with no history of listening difficulties. Results: Data obtained demonstrates a significant difference between the UCAST-FW results obtained by children with APD and those with normal auditory processing. Conclusions: These findings provide evidence that the UCAST-FW may discriminate between children with and without APD with greater sensitivity than its constant-level counterparts.
Acknowledgements
The authors would like to thank the participants in our study and the two anonymous reviewers of the manuscript for their very helpful comments. This data was presented at the 34th New Zealand Audiological Society Conference in Blenheim, New Zealand, and the 20th Audiological Society of Australia Conference.
Declaration of interest: The authors would like to thank GN ReSound (NZ) Ltd. for financial assistance to UJH.
