The Effect of Attention on Auditory Processing in Adults on the Autism Spectrum

Jewel E Crasta; Erica C Jacoby

doi:10.1007/s10803-023-06040-4

The Effect of Attention on Auditory Processing in Adults on the Autism Spectrum

J Autism Dev Disord. 2023 Jun 22. doi: 10.1007/s10803-023-06040-4. Online ahead of print.

Authors

Jewel E Crasta^{1

2}, Erica C Jacoby^{3

4}

Affiliations

¹ Department of Occupational Therapy, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO, 80523, USA. jewel.crasta@osumc.edu.
² Occupational Therapy, The Ohio State University, 453 W 10th Ave, Columbus, OH, 43210, USA. jewel.crasta@osumc.edu.
³ Department of Occupational Therapy, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO, 80523, USA.
⁴ , Miamisburg, USA.

PMID: 37349596
DOI: 10.1007/s10803-023-06040-4

Abstract

This study examined the effect of attention on auditory processing in autistic individuals. Electroencephalography data were recorded during two attention conditions (passive and active) from 24 autistic adults and 24 neurotypical controls, ages 17-30 years. The passive condition involved only listening to the clicks and the active condition involved a button press following single clicks in a modified paired-click paradigm. Participants completed the Adolescent/Adult Sensory Profile and the Social Responsiveness Scale 2. The autistic group showed delayed N1 latencies and reduced evoked and phase-locked gamma power compared to neurotypical peers across both clicks and conditions. Longer N1 latencies and reduced gamma synchronization predicted greater social and sensory symptoms. Directing attention to auditory stimuli may be associated with more typical neural auditory processing in autism.

Keywords: Attention; Auditory; Autism spectrum disorder; Electroencephalography (EEG); Sensory gating; Sensory processing.