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Hearing Impairment, Autism Spectrum Disorder, and Developmental Functioning in Infants and Toddlers

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Abstract

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) tends to co-occur with other psychiatric disorders and medical conditions, and identification of comorbidities is crucial for appropriate intervention. Currently, little research has examined the relationship between ASD and deafness or hearing impairment (D/HI). The present study aimed to examine the effects of ASD and D/HI on autism symptomology as measured by the Baby and Infant Screen for Children with aUtIsm Traits (BISCUIT), and developmental functioning in infants and toddlers as measured by the Battelle Developmental Inventory, Second Edition (BDI-2). Specific developmental domains were also investigated. This study compared children with atypical development (n = 24), comorbid atypical development and D/HI (n = 24), ASD only (n = 24), and comorbid ASD and D/HI (n = 24). The results indicated that an ASD diagnosis was a stronger indicator of ASD symptomology, overall developmental functioning, adaptive skills, personal-social skills, and communication skills than D/HI. However, the interaction between ASD and D/HI was more dynamic for the motor and cognitive domains. The results of the current study emphasize the importance of improved assessment techniques to identify both ASD and D/HI when they co-occur. Future research should be conducted to further elucidate the interaction of ASD and D/HI, as well as investigate these comorbidities in older samples.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychology, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, LA, 70803, USA

    Claire O. Burns, Johnny L. Matson, Paige E. Cervantes, Xinrui Jiang & Jasper A. Estabillo

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  1. Claire O. Burns
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  2. Johnny L. Matson
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  3. Paige E. Cervantes
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  4. Xinrui Jiang
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  5. Jasper A. Estabillo
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Correspondence to Claire O. Burns.

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Funding

This study did not receive external funding.

Ethical Approval

The Louisiana State University Institutional Review Board and the State of Louisiana’s Department of Health and Hospitals Institutional Review Board have approved the use of data from EarlySteps for research purposes. All procedures were in accordance with the ethical standards of the institutional and/or national research committee and with the 1964 Helsinki declaration and its later amendments or comparable ethical standards.

Informed Consent

Informed consent was obtained from all informants, who were parents or legal guardians of the participating children. Personal identifiers of EarlySteps participants, including name and date of birth, were removed from the database by OCDD before receipt.

Conflict of Interest

Deann Matson, Dr. Johnny L. Matson’s wife, is the sole owner of the Baby and Infant Screen for Children with autism Traits (BISCUIT) and sells the scale. Claire O. Burns declares that she has no conflict of interest. Paige E. Cervantes declares that she has no conflict of interest. Xinrui Jiang declares that she has no conflict of interest. Jasper A. Estabillo declares that she has no conflict of interest.

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Burns, C.O., Matson, J.L., Cervantes, P.E. et al. Hearing Impairment, Autism Spectrum Disorder, and Developmental Functioning in Infants and Toddlers. J Dev Phys Disabil 28, 495–507 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10882-016-9486-0

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