Research outcomes : Auditory Integration Training

YEAR / TOPIC	AUTHORS	SUBJECTS	DESIGN	COMMENTS/ RESULTS
1993 Ocular Movements Among Individuals with Autism Pre- and Post-Auditory Integration Training	Margaret P. Creedon in collaboration with Stephen M. Edelson and Janice E. Scharre	22 ASD subjects No control group	open-clinical study, visual tracking movements and optokinetic nystagmus (a visual reflex) were assessed. Parents completed the FAPC and the ABC-1.	Significant improvements were seen in horizontal tracking immediately following AIT and in both horizontal and vertical tracking three months post-AIT . No changes were seen in optokinetic nystagmus. The FAPC indicated significant improvement at 3 months post-AIT, and the ABC-1 indicated significant improvement both immediately following and 3 months post-AIT.
1993 Study of the Effects of Auditory Integration Training in Autism	Dawn Cortez-McKee and Jaak Panksepp	33 ASD No control group	open-trial clinical study. Participants were assessed using multiple measures prior to, at 1-week, 1-month, and 3 months following AIT. The measures included: ABC-1, BSE, CARS, CPRS, FAPC, and SIBQ.	Significant improvement was seen on all of the measures, except the FAPC, at the one- and three-month follow-up assessment periods. Critique:- FAPC is a survey tool, not a suitable instrument to measure change after AIT.
1993 Study 1 of the Effects of AIT in Autism	Tina K. Veale	5 ASD 5 controls, matched according to checklists right	In a double-blind placebo pilot study. Parents completed the ABC-1, the CPRC, and the FAPC. These instruments were completed prior to, one month following, and three months following AIT.	Positive trends indicating improvement in the experimental group were seen at three months following AIT for all three evaluation forms.
1993 Study 2 of the Effects of AIT in Autism	Tina K. Veale	46 ASD No controls	An open clinical study	Parents completed the ABC-1, CPRS, FAPC as well as the Autistic Behaviour Composite Checklist and Profile. Significant improvements were observed at one month and six months following AIT.. Some of the behavioural changes included: reductions in hyperactivity, social withdrawal, auditory problems, restlessness, and anxiety.
1994 on-Pharmaco-logical Techniques in the Treatment of Brain Dysfunction	Jeffrey M. Gerth, Steve A. Barton, Harold F. Engler, Alyne C. Heller, David Freides, and Jane Blalock	10 children with auditory-based learning deficits Eight of the ten had also been diagnosed as having Attention Deficit Disorder.	Subjects were given a series of diagnostic tests, and parents were requested to complete several questionnaires. Two subscales from the Woodcock-Johnson Psycho-Educational Battery test were used to evaluate changes in auditory processing.	The Sound Blending scale and the Incomplete Words scale, indicated an improvement of one standard deviation or more in 4 of the 10 subjects, and moderate improvement in two other subjects.
1994 Auditory Processing Skills and Auditory Integration Training in Children with ADD	Donna Geffner, Jay R. Lucker, Ann Gordon and Dolores A. DiStasio	16 children with ADD/H.	This study investigated changes in audition and language. A large number of tests were employed to evaluate possible changes as a result of AIT. The measures included: standard audiometric threshold testing, tolerance for tones and speech, speech recognition in quiet and noise conditions, and the Goldman-Fristoe-Woodcock (GFW) Test of Auditory Selective Attention. Post-assessments were conducted within 3 months following AIT.	Significant improvement was observed in the subjects‘ tolerance to tones and speech, speech recognition in the noise condition, and in listening skills as measured by the GFW Auditory Selective Attention Test and several subscales from the Detroit Test of Learning Aptitude (oral commissions, attention span for unrelated words, and attention span for related words.)
1994 Positron Emission Tomography Measure of Modified Auditory Integration Therapy: A Case Study	Jacqueline M. Cimorelli and Melanie K. Highfill	A single-subject The research subject was an 8-year old male with mental retardation and autism	Investigated changes in brain functioning following AIT using Positron Emissions Test (PET) Scan technology. PET scans were conducted prior to a second set f AIT listening sessions (baseline), one day after and again six months after AIT.	The results at both the one-day and six-month follow-up evaluations indicated a normalization of brain wave activity, including a decrease in hyper-metabolism in the frontal lobe and an increase in activity in the occipital lobe.
1994 Changes in Unilateral and Bilateral Sound Sensitivity as a Result of Auditory Integration Training	Deborah Woodward	60 ASD No controls	Uncomfortable loudness level (UCL) measurements were performed prior to and immediately following AIT.	Following AIT, the monaural tolerance level to each ear increased 13 to 15 dBHTL, This increased tolerance to speech noise was statistically significant. In addition, the binaural tolerance level indicated a more normal response.
1994 Parental Perceptions of Change Following Auditory Integration Training for Autism	Dana Monville and Nickola Nelson	40 surveyed parents	Parent Survey	25 (63%) reported an increase in attention span; 25 (63%) reported a decrease in sound sensitivity; 12 (30%) reported an increase in language. 4 parents (10%) reported an increase in tantrums and aggression.
1994 Auditory Integration Training	Dr. Jane R. Madell and Darrell E. Rose	4 children, ASD/ PDD/ Learning Disabilities	Audiological and behavioural assessments were used.	Audiograms of all four children showed improvement following AIT (i.e., a decrease in variability). Behavioural improvement was observed in three of the four children: increased calmness, decreased sound sensitivity, improvements in speech/language improved word recognition in noise.
1994 The Effects of Auditory Integration Therapy on Central Auditory Processing	B Huskey, K Barnett, and J M. Cimorelli	6 exp 6 controls	An experimental study of 2 auditory processing tasks, . the SSW test and the Phonemic Synthesis Test (PST).	Pre- and post-tests were given prior to, and at 4 to 6 weeks, and at 8 to 12 weeks following AIT. For the SSW test, there were no improvements in the subjects 4 to 6 weeks following AIT, but there were improvements on the total score and on the left competing condition at 8 to 12 weeks following AIT. There were no changes in the results from the PST.
1994 Clinical Outcome Evaluation: Auditory Integration Training	Jane H. Rudy, Sharon S. Morgan, and Marianne Shepard	13 No controls	An open-clinical study, 13 subjects diagnosed with attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and/or central auditory processing dysfunction (CAPD) were given a variety of assessments prior to, immediately following, and three months post-AIT. These tests examined hearing acuity, central auditory processing (SSW, SCAN), auditory evoked potentials (i.e., brain waveforms–P200 and P300), language function (CELF-R), and intelligence (TONI) immediately following AIT,	There were significant improvements in the SSW, SCAN, and CELF-R, and no change in the TONI. Three-months post-AIT, there was additional improvements in the SSW and CELF-R, but no further change in the SCAN. There was also a significant improvement in the TONI. An analysis of the P200 waveform indicated a significant change in amplitude but no change in the P300 waveform latency.
1995 A Pilot Study of AIT in Autism	Rimland B., Edelson S.	18 children and adolescents with ASD	Follow-up after 3 months.	Diminished aberrant behaviour but no change in Sound Sensitivity.
1996 Long-Term Effects of Auditory Integration Training Comparing Treated and Non-Treated Children	Donna Geffner, Jay R. Lucker, and Ann Gordon	10 with AIT 10 controls	The study involved a one-year follow-up evaluation of children with Attention Deficit Disorder. A tolerance testing procedure for ‚uncomfortable‘ listening levels was used.	Improvement was observed for the AIT group, but no change in the control group. Additionally, tests evaluating speech recognition in noise and auditory-language processing showed improvement for those in the AIT group but not for those in the control group.
1995 1996 ANIMAL STUDIES	M. Waldhoer, J. Panksepp, D. Pruitt, M. Vaningan, D. McKee, J. Rossi III, and J. Lindsey Jaak Panksepp, J. Ross III, & T.K. Narayanan	Newborn chicks and AIT		The data suggests that AIT may modify serotonergic tone in the brain. Panksepp suggests such music arouses and activates attentional circuits in the brain These findings indicate that listening to music produced neurochemical changes.
1996 The Effects of Auditory Integration Training for Children with Central Auditory Processing Disorder (CAPD)	Karen A. Yencer	36 exp and controls	36 children diagnosed with central auditory processing disorder. Children with autism, pervasive developmental disorder (PDD), and multiple-handicaps were excluded from the study.	Testing prior and 1 month after AIT. Standard audiometric testing, the SSW test, the Phonemic Synthesis test, the Standard Progressive Matrices test, FAPC, auditory brainstem response (ABR), event-related potential (P300), and a speech-in-noise test. The P300 analyses indicated some improvement in the AIT condition (mean latency from 366.2 msec. to 348.5 msec.) versus a slight worsening in the placebo condition (mean latency from 400.8 msec. to 402.2 msec.). Critique – post-AIT testing at 4 weeks instead of the required 3 to 6 months!
1997 Epileptic Activity in Autism and Acquired Aphasia: A Study Using Magneto-Encephalography	Jeffrey D. Lewine, Sherri L. Provencal, John T. Davis, and William W. Orrison,	2 subjects	Magnetoencephalography and EEG recordings were used to measure electrical activity in the brain in one child with dyslexia and one high-functioning autistic adult.	Baseline recordings demonstrated larger than normal responses in the areas associated with hyperacusis. Following AIT, a more normalized balance or symmetry in electrical activity was observed
1997 The Efficacy of Auditory Integration Training: A Double Blind Study	William Zollweg, Vere Vance, and David Palm	30 participants assigned at random to either an experimental AIT group or a placebo-control group. Mild to profound Mental handicap , some with ASD.	A double-blind research design, Evaluations were conducted using audiometric tests, a Loudness Discomfort Level test, and the ABC-1 at 3, 6, and 9 months following AIT.	No differences were found between the AIT and control groups. Critique:- AIT not recommended for MD Loudness incorrectly set as high as 122 dB SPL 27% were given wrong narrow-band filters.
1997 Auditory Integration Training in Children with Autism: Brief Report of an Open Pilot Study	C. Gillberg, M. Johansson, S. Steffenberg, and O. Berlin	9 pupils with ASD No controls	9-month follow-up period, using ABC and the ABC Sensory Subscale.	8 of the 9 children showed improvement on the Autism Behaviour Checklist (ABC) total score, And 7 of 9 children showed improvement on the ABC sensory subscale.
1999 Auditory Integration Training: A Double-Blind Study of Behavioral, Electro-Physciological, and Audiometic Effects in Autistic Subjects	Stephen M. Edelson, Deborah Arin, Margaret Bauman, Scott E. Lukas, Jane H. Rudy, Michelle Sholar, and Bernard Rimland	19 ASD assigned at random to exp/control	All evaluations were ‘blind’ to group assignment. Behavioral, electro-physiological, and audiometric measures were assessed prior to and following AIT( Used the ABC-1) in the experimental group at the 3-month follow-up assessment.	A significant improvement was observed in behavioral problems . Electrophysiological: Of the 19 subjects, three experimental group and two placebo group subjects were able to cooperate with the auditory P300 Event Related Potential (ERP) task. All five subjects showed abnormal P300 ERPs prior to the AIT listening sessions. Three months following AIT, all three subjects showed a dramatic improvement in their auditory P300 ERP. No improvement was seen in the placebo group.
1999 Auditory Integration Training and Autism: Two Case Studies	Mark Morgan Brown	2 subjects ASD	Report of Observations made at three and six months	following AIT. Improvements were reported in attention, arousal and sensory modulation, balance and movement perception, praxis and sequencing, speech and language, social and emotional maturity, and eye control.
2000 The Effects of Auditory Integration Training on Children Diagnosed with Attention Deficit /Hyperactivity Disorder: A Pilot Study	Wayne J. Kirby	5 experimental, 5 controls	A placebo-control design, Subjects were assessed using the Auditory Continuous Performance Test (ACPT) prior to and three months following AIT.	Comparison of the two groups at three months post-AIT indicated a statistically significant reduction in the total number of errors for those in the AIT group. Improvement on the impulsivity and inattention scores were not significantly different from the placebo group.

RESEARCH OUTCOMES : AUDITORY INTEGRATION TRAINING, POST- 2000

Year/ Topic	Author	Subjects	Design	Summary of Results
2002 A Pilot Study: Into the Effects of a Single Course of Bérard Auditory Integration Training on the Progress of a Population of Children Diagnosed With Autistic Spectrum Disorder	Rosalie Seymour	16 ASD exp 8 ASD controls	Baseline to matched exp and controls using form E2, ATEC, ABC, Parents Questionnaire	The AIT group’s pre-post differences were more likely to be positive than the control group. It is also seen that only the control group showed any negative change (i.e. worsening). The AIT group total score improvement was significant, The improvement in hyperactivity scores was highly significant in the AIT group. And the difference between the control and AIT was highly significant.
2005 Research: Report on the Changes in Scores for a Group of 13 Children with Autism After Berard Auditory Integration Training	Rosalie E Seymour, Maoilíosa Ó Rathaille unpublished	12 pupils with ASD	This study to answer two questions: To determine whether AIT made any difference for those children with autism who participated . The next question to answer was, is this difference bigger than one can expect from ordinary chance? Used ATEC and ABC and PQ.	Results showed significant changes to the ATEC subscales for Sociability, and for Sensory/Cognitive, and the total scores. These results show that there were improvements for the group in all the areas covered by this checklist. There were significant changes in the areas of irritability, lethargy, hyperactivity, and the Total scores. That is, we can confidently say they were not as a result of chance but are likely to have been due to AIT.
2006 The Hearing Ear and the Listening Brain – an Evaluation of Auditory Integration Training in Children/Students with Concentration Problems and Learning Difficulties	Britta Alin Åkerman, Lars Borazanci Persson	56 subjects, 21 students with ASD 28 AIT 28 controls	Listening tests, parents and teacher questionnaires rating attention, and household behaviours.	Show a difference between the intervention and control groups ranging from slight difference to considerable difference. Additional observed improvements included:- Improved eye contact, improved communi- cation, longer sentences, improved interaction, attention and calmness. Reduced sound sensitivity.
2006 Research	Alaa El-Din Abou-Setta, MD; Iman Sadek, MD; Amani Shalaby, MD; Nagwa Hazzaa, MD, Ain Shams University	15 children with ASD. Included 8 with hyperacusis.	To explore the value of AIT as a complementary measure in rehabilitation of autistic children. Autism Performance Observation Sheet (APOS) was developed for parents to report on behaviour and communication..	Reduction in hyperactivity, in social withdrawal, in auditory problems, in restlessness and in anxiety following AIT. Found an increase in attention span, a decrease in sound sensitivity, and an increase in language. Commented: ‘AIT can be viewed as a reasonably effective complementary tool in the rehabilitation of autistic children. It seems that it paves the road for more benefit from the classical ways of rehabilitation’.
2013 Berard AIT Supports a Memory Training Program The Mediterranean Project	Dr Selvi Borazanci Persson	68 subjects, ages 6-65 yrs AIT before memory training only. 33 controls – memory training	A study was to determine if memorizing can be enhanced by AIT. Task = memorizing image cards (auditory & visual peg words (auditory), face recognition with names (auditory & visual)	In each task, and for all age groups, the improvement in the AIT condition was highly significant, and continued to improve over a 9-month period post-AIT.
2013 Effectiveness of Auditory Integration Therapy in Autism Spectrum Disorders—Prospective Study	Prof. Laila Y. Al-Ayadhi, Abdul Majeed Al-Drees and Ahmed M. Al-Arfaj, Saudi Arabia	72 with ASD (CARS: 21 moderate, 51 severe)	To determine the effectiveness of auditory integration training (AIT) in people with ASD. Pre-intervention and post-intervention (3 and 6 months) scores were calculated using CARS, Social Responsiveness Scale (SRS), and the Autism Treatment Evaluation Checklist (ATEC).	All subjects demonstrated improvement 3 and 6 months following the AIT. ASD subject showed 22% and 26% percentage improvement in SRS scoring. Statistically significant changes in social awareness, social cognition, and social communication. Similar results were achieved with the ATEC ‘The results of this study support the therapeutic effects of auditory integration training on social awareness, social cognition, and social communication, as well as speech and communication.’
2014 Berard Auditory Integration Training: Behavior Changes Related to Sensory Modulation.	Sally S. Brockett, Nancy K. Lawton-Shirley and Judith Giencke Kimball	Cases of 54 children with disabilities (34 with autism), ages 3–10 years, who received Berard AIT, were reviewed.	A study to determine if behaviours specifically related to sensory modulation showed positive changes following 10 days of Berard auditory integration training (AIT).	Behavioural problems reduced on all five factors of the Aberrant Behaviour Checklist (P  0.01), maintained at three and six months. The Short Sensory Profile scores improved.
2015 The Effects of Auditory Integration Training (AIT) on Mismatch Negativity in Children with Autism	E. M. Sokhadze , S. M. Edelson , L. L. Sears , M. F. Casanova, A. Tasman and S. Brockett	11 ASD 11 control	The aims of the study was application of Berard’s Auditory Integration Training (AIT) techniques in children in autism and assessment of AIT course outcomes using MMN, frontal P2a and P3a evoked potentials, and behavioral questionnaires (ABC,CPI).	Berard AIT resulted in significant decrease of Irritability, Hyperactivity and Lethargy scores on the Aberrant Behavior Checklist (ABC), and improved Emotion, Behavior and Receptive Language Scores on the Comprehensive Performance Index (CPI) scales. The study demonstrates that Berard AIT positively affects auditory stimulus processing, reflected both in early (MMN) and late (P2,P3a) evoked potentials.
2015 Before-and-After Central Auditory Processing Test Results For AIT – a Clinical Retrospective Study	Judith Paton	210 subjects:- with learning disability (LD), dyslexia, speech/language disorders, and/or central auditory processing disorders (CAPD or APD).	Changes in central auditory processing test scores between pre-and post-AIT evaluation. Used 11 CAP tests. The four tests showing the most improvement (70-90%) were: Speech Discrimination in Ipsilateral Noise at 0dB S/N (signal-to-noise ratio) (90%) Filtered (low-pass) Speech at (81%) Time Compressed Sentences (at 60% compression) (73%) Pitch Pattern Sequencing (70%) Second-most improved by AIT (50-69%) were: Sound Blending (68%) Duration Pattern Sequencing (56%) Dichotic Competing Sentences (56%) Binaural Fusion (55%) SSW (Staggered Spondaic Word) test (54%). Competing Words (47%).	The average improvement for LD and ASD groups together across tests was 67%. (A small number of ASD patients showed 61% improvement, with the even smaller number of adults at 78%.) The total amount of improvement after AIT for all subjects on all repeated tests was: a) 80 to 100% improved — 49% b) 50 to 79% improved — 50% c) 12 to 49% improved — 1% ‘Results of this study show that AIT can be reasonably quick and effective way of improving functioning of the central auditory nervous system’.
2018 Impact of Auditory Integrative Training on Transforming Growth Factor-β₁ and Its Effect on Behavioural and Social Emotions in Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder	Prof. Laila Al-Ayadhi, Abdulrahman Mohammed Alhowikan, Dost Muhammad Halepoto Saudi Arabia.	15 children with ASD	This study investigated the impact of Auditory Integration Training (AIT) on transforming growth factor (TGF)-β₁ and its effect on behavioral and social emotions in children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD).	The increased plasma levels of TGF-β₁ after AIT support the therapeutic effect of AIT on TGF-β₁followed by improvement in social awareness, social cognition, and social communication in ASD children.