Abstract
Previous studies have implicated a brainstem dysfunction in the syndrome of autism. This study matched six autistic children with six normal children by age and sex to evaluate brainstem evoked response (BSER) to auditory stimuli. An evaluation of pure tone audiometric threshold showed no evidence of impairment; however, the electrophysiologic responses differed for the autistic and control groups. The BSER of the autistic children was remarkable for showing increased latency and markedly increased variability. The findings from this study add additional evidence of a brainstem dysfunction in autistic children, while the electrophysiologic variability supports the hypothesis of perceptual inconstancy.
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The authors wish to thank Dr. James H. O'Brien for considerable assistance in computer programming and data analysis, and Patricia J. Almond for help in preparing the children for testing. This study was supported in part by Portland State University's Research and Publication Committee.
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Rosenblum, S.M., Arick, J.R., Krug, D.A. et al. Auditory brainstem evoked responses in autistic children. J Autism Dev Disord 10, 215–225 (1980). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02408472
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02408472