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Audio–vocal system regulation in children with autism spectrum disorders

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Abstract

Do children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) respond similarly to perturbations in auditory feedback as typically developing (TD) children? Presentation of pitch-shifted voice auditory feedback to vocalizing participants reveals a close coupling between the processing of auditory feedback and vocal motor control. This paradigm was used to test the hypothesis that abnormalities in the audio–vocal system would negatively impact ASD compensatory responses to perturbed auditory feedback. Voice fundamental frequency (F 0) was measured while children produced an /a/ sound into a microphone. The voice signal was fed back to the subjects in real time through headphones. During production, the feedback was pitch shifted (−100 cents, 200 ms) at random intervals for 80 trials. Averaged voice F 0 responses to pitch-shifted stimuli were calculated and correlated with both mental and language abilities as tested via standardized tests. A subset of children with ASD produced larger responses to perturbed auditory feedback than TD children, while the other children with ASD produced significantly lower response magnitudes. Furthermore, robust relationships between language ability, response magnitude and time of peak magnitude were identified. Because auditory feedback helps to stabilize voice F 0 (a major acoustic cue of prosody) and individuals with ASD have problems with prosody, this study identified potential mechanisms of dysfunction in the audio–vocal system for voice pitch regulation in some children with ASD. Objectively quantifying this deficit may inform both the assessment of a subgroup of ASD children with prosody deficits, as well as remediation strategies that incorporate pitch training.

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Acknowledgments

We would like to thank the children and their families who participated in this research. We would also like to thank Hanjun Liu, Steven Zecker, and Trent Nicol for their technical and statistical support. This work was supported by NIH R01 DC01510 and DC006243-02. We greatly appreciate the helpful comments from the anonymous reviewers. The authors declare that they have no competing financial interests.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. The Roxelyn and Richard Pepper Department of Communication Sciences, Northwestern University, Frances Searle Bldg, 2240 Campus Drive, Evanston, IL, 60208, USA

    Nicole Russo, Charles Larson & Nina Kraus

  2. Northwestern University Interdepartmental Neuroscience Program, Northwestern University, Frances Searle Bldg, 2240 Campus Drive, Evanston, IL, 60208, USA

    Nicole Russo, Charles Larson & Nina Kraus

  3. Department of Neurobiology and Physiology, Northwestern University, Frances Searle Bldg, 2240 Campus Drive, Evanston, IL, 60208, USA

    Nina Kraus

  4. Department of Otolaryngology, Northwestern University, Frances Searle Bldg, 2240 Campus Drive, Evanston, IL, 60208, USA

    Charles Larson & Nina Kraus

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Correspondence to Nicole Russo.

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Russo, N., Larson, C. & Kraus, N. Audio–vocal system regulation in children with autism spectrum disorders. Exp Brain Res 188, 111–124 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00221-008-1348-2

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