Definition
Auditory integration training (AIT) is an intervention technique which is currently considered experimental. It was created to attempt to improve the way individuals with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) recognize and respond to sound and to reduce other behaviors associated with ASD. AIT has also been referred to as auditory enhancement training (AET) and audio-psycho-phonology (APP).
Historical Background
Auditory integration training (AIT) was first written about in 1982 in a book by the otolaryngologist Guy Berard, which was translated in 1993 from French to the English title Hearing Equals Behavior. In his writing, Berard suggests that various disorders (“autism,” hyperactivity, depression, learning difficulties) are associated with atypical sensitivity to sound.
The AIT technique became widely popular after the 1991 publication of Annabel Stehli’s The Sound of a Miracle: A Child’s Triumph over Autism. In this book, Stehli described the full recovery of her daughter,...
References and Readings
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American Speech-Language-Hearing Association Working Group on Auditory Integration Training. (2003). Auditory integration training. (Technical Report). Rockville: Author.. Retrieved from www.asha.org/docs/html/TR2004-00260.html
Berard, G. (1993). Hearing equals behaviour. New Canaan: Keats Publishing. (Original work published 1982).
Berard, G. (1995). Concerning length, frequency, number, and follow-up AIT sessions. The Sound Connection Newsletter, 2(3), 5–6. Available from The Society for Auditory Intervention Techniques.
Bettison, S. (1996). The long-term effects of auditory training on children with autism. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 26(3), 361–373.
Brockett, S. S., Lawton-Shirley, N. K., & Kimball, J. G. (2014). Berard auditory integration training: Behavior changes related to sensory modulation. Autism Insights, 6, 1.
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Edelson, S., Arin, D., Bauman, M., Lukas, S., Rudy, J., Sholar, M., et al. (1999). Auditory integration training: A double-blind study of behavioural and electrophysiological effects in people with autism. Focus on Autism and Other Developmental Disabilities, 14(2), 73–81.
Educational Audiology Association. (1997). Auditory integration training: Educational Audiology Association position statement. Educational Audiology Newsletter, 14(3), 16.
Feigin, J. A., Kapun, J. G., Stelmachowicz, P. G., & Gorga, M. P. (1989). Probe-tube microphone measures of ear canal sound pressure levels in infants and children. Ear and Hearing, 10(4), 254–258.
Gillberg, C., & Coleman, M. (2000). The biology of autistic syndromes (3rd ed.). London: MacKeith Press.
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Gringras, P. (2000). Practical paediatric psychopharmacological prescribing in autism: The potential and the pitfalls. Autism, 4(3), 229–247.
LaFrance, D. L., Miguel, C. F., Donahue, J. N., & Fechter, T. R. (2015). A case study on the use of auditory integration training as a treatment for stereotypy. Behavioral Interventions, 30(3), 286–293.
Mudford, O. C., Cross, B. A., Breen, S., Cullen, C., Reeves, D., Gould, J., & Douglas, J. (2000). Auditory integration training for children with autism: no behavioral benefits detected. American Journal on Mental Retardation, 105(2), 118–129.
Mudford, O. C., & Cullen, C. (2005). Auditory integration training: A critical review. In J. W. Jacobson, R. M. Foxx, & J. A. Mulick (Eds.), Controversial therapies for developmental disabilities: Fad, fashion, and science in professional practice (pp. 351–362). Mahwah: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.
Rimland, B., & Edelson, S. M. (1994). The effects of auditory integration training on autism. American Journal of Speech-Language Pathology, 3(2), 16–24.
Rimland, B., & Edelson, S. (1995). Brief report: A pilot study of auditory integration training in autism. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 25(1), 61–70.
Sinha, Y., Silove, N., Wheeler, D. M., & Williams, K. J. (2009). Auditory integration training and other sound therapies for autism spectrum disorders (Review). Hoboken: Wiley.
Sokhadze, E. M., Casanova, M. F., Tasman, A., & Brockett, S. (2016). Electrophysiological and behavioral outcomes of berard auditory integration training (AIT) in children with autism spectrum disorder. Applied psychophysiology and biofeedback, 41(4), 405–420.
Stehli, A. (1991). The sound of a miracle. A child's triumph over autism. New York: Doubleday.
Tharpe, A. M. (1998). Treatment fads versus evidence-based practice. In F. H. Bess (Ed.), Children with hearing impairment: Contemporary trends (pp. 179–188). Nashville: Vanderbilt Bill Wilkerson Center Press.
Tochel, C. (2003). Sensory or auditory integration therapy for children with autistic spectrum disorders. London: Bazian Ltd (Eds.), Wessex Institute for Health Research and Development, University of Southampton.
Veale, T. (1993). Effectiveness of AIT Using the BCG Device (Clark Method): A Controlled Study. Paper Presented at the World of Options International Autism Conference. Toronto.
Zollweg, W., Palm, D., & Vance, V. (1997). The efficacy of auditory integration training: A double blind study. American Journal of Audiology, 6(3), 39–47.
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Austin, S. (2017). Auditory Integration Therapy. In: Volkmar, F. (eds) Encyclopedia of Autism Spectrum Disorders. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-6435-8_961-3
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-6435-8_961-3
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