AUDITORY PROCESSING IN AUTISM SPECTRUM DISORDER: THE EFFECT OF ACOUSTIC CUES ON LANGUAGE ACQUISITION
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Abstract
This review article examines the relationship between auditory processing differences in Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and their impact on language acquisition, with a specific focus on acoustic cues. Individuals with ASD frequently exhibit atypical responses to auditory stimuli, ranging from hypersensitivity to hyposensitivity, which may fundamentally alter how speech is perceived and processed. This paper synthesizes the current literature from the fields of audiology, phonetics, and developmental psycholinguistics to examine how differences in processing basic acoustic features, such as frequency, intensity, duration, and temporal cues, affect speech perception and subsequent language development. The review reveals that many individuals with ASD show distinctive patterns in pure-tone perception, temporal processing, and speech-in-noise discrimination. These low-level auditory differences appear to cascade into higher-level linguistic challenges, including difficulties with categorical perception of phonemes, impaired prosodic processing (both affective and grammatical), and reduced phonological awareness. Consequently, these perceptual foundations influence vocabulary acquisition, morphosyntactic development, and pragmatic competence. The paper argues that differences in auditory processing constitute a critical yet often underrecognized factor in the heterogeneous language outcomes observed in ASD. Understanding these mechanisms has significant implications for early assessment and intervention, suggesting that incorporating auditory-based measures and acoustically modified environments may enhance language support strategies for individuals on the spectrum.
