In a large subgroup of dyslexic individuals (D-LDs), reading difficulties are part of a broader learning and language disability. Recent studies indicate that D-LDs perform poorly in many psychoacoustic tasks compared with individuals with normal reading ability. We found that D-LDs perform as well as normal readers in speech perception in noise and in a difficult tone comparison task. However, their performance did not improve when these same tasks were performed with a smaller stimulus set. In contrast to normal readers, they did not benefit from stimulus-specific repetitions, suggesting that they have difficulties forming perceptual anchors. These findings are inconsistent with previously suggested static models of dyslexia. Instead, we propose that D-LDs' core deficit is a general difficulty in dynamically constructing stimulus-specific predictions, deriving from deficient stimulus-specific adaptation mechanisms. This hypothesis provides a direct link between D-LDs' high-level difficulties and mechanisms at the level of specific neuronal circuits.

A common complaint of children with auditory processing disorders (APD) is difficulty in understanding speech in the presence of background noise. Evidence from animal and human studies has suggested that the medial olivocochlear bundle (MOCB) may play a role in hearing in noise. The MOCB function can be evaluated by the suppression effect of the transient evoked otoacoustic emissions (TEOAE) in response to contralateral acoustic stimulation (CAS). The present study was conducted to investigate the suppression effect of TEOAE in APD children. The study groups comprised 15 APD children aged 8–13 years associated with learning disabilities and 15 controls matched for gender and age. The suppression effect of TEOAE was evaluated by comparing the TEOAE levels with and without CAS. A significantly reduced suppression effect of TEOAE was demonstrated in the APD group, when compared to the controls. In addition, higher TEOAE levels were found in the APD group, suggesting inherent reduced MOCB activity on the outer hair cells in APD children. These results imply that some APD children present low activity of the MOCB system, which may indicate a reduced auditory inhibitory function and affect their ability to hear in the presence of background noise.

Noise-induced hearing loss (NIHL) has been extensively studied in industrial work environments. With the advent of new technologies, loud music has been increasingly affecting listeners outside of the industrial setting. Most research on the effects of music and hearing loss has focused on classical musicians. The purpose of the current study was to examine the relationship between the amount of experience a professional pop/rock/jazz musician has and objective and subjective variables of the musician's hearing loss. This study also examined professional pop/rock/jazz musicians’ use of hearing protection devices in relation to the extent of their exposure to amplified music. Forty-four pop/rock/jazz musicians were interviewed using the Pop/Rock/Jazz Musician's Questionnaire (PRJMQ) in order to obtain self-reported symptoms of tinnitus and hyperacusis. Forty-two of the subjects were also tested for air-conduction hearing thresholds in the frequency range of 1-8 kHz. Results show that the extent of professional pop/rock/jazz musicians’ exposure to amplified music was related to both objective and subjective variables of hearing loss: Greater musical experience was positively linked to higher hearing thresholds in the frequency range of 3-6 kHz and to the subjective symptom of tinnitus. Weekly hours playing were found to have a greater effect on hearing loss in comparison to years playing. Use of hearing protection was not linked to the extent of exposure to amplified music. It is recommended that further research be conducted with a larger sample, in order to gain a greater understanding of the detrimental effects of hours playing versus years playing.

Listening skills were compared before and after a structured intervention program for a group of 20 children with auditory processing disorders (APD). Comparisons of pre-and post-management measures indicated a significant increase in speech recognition performance in degraded listening conditions (background noise and competing speech). The APD management approach was integrative and included top-down and bottom-up strategies. These findings add to a growing body of literature suggesting that interactive auditory training can improve communication skills.Learning Outcomes: Upon completion of this article, the reader will (1) become familiar with one of the measures of auditory processing, the index of performance accuracy, which reflects a global assessment of auditory information processing; (2) recognize the value of performance accuracy scores in degraded listening conditions in evaluating treatment efficacy for auditory processing disorders; and (3) recognize some of the limitations of the performance accuracy index and the possible contribution of temporal measures in indicating auditory processing difficulties and in evaluating treatment efficacy for auditory processing disorders.