A Brief Overview of Amblyaudia

Abstract

Amblyaudia, a recent subcategory of auditory processing disorder, is characterized by asymmetrical auditory processing of an individual's ears. Amblyaudia can result in speech comprehension difficulties, reading difficulties, information processing deficits, and inattention. These difficulties can be mistakenly attributed to Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), Specific Learning Disorders (SLD), depression, anxiety disorders, and communication disorders. Unfortunately, traditional hearing tests do not place the two ears in competition and cannot detect asymmetry. Therefore, students who exhibit these difficulties and have normal performance on traditional hearing tests should be also evaluated for amblyaudia with dichotic listening tests. Amblyaudia can be addressed through dichotic listening tasks that strengthen the non-dominant ear, as well as minor adjustments to the classroom environment. This paper will examine the current literature on amblyaudia and provide a brief overview of the causes, diagnosis, treatments, and prognosis.

Dichotic listening deficits in amblyaudia are characterized by aberrant neural oscillations in auditory cortex

“…AMB is characterized by a larger than normal asymmetry on two or more dichotic listening tests despite normal audiometry (Moncrieff et al, 2016), with performance in the non-dominant ear often >2 SDs below normal while performance in the dominant ear is normal. It is presumed that the listener’s dominant ear offsets and counterbalances deficiencies in binaural processing of auditory information while the non-dominant ear is developmentally deprived, leading to a deficit in binaural integration of complex signals (Lamminen and Houlihan, 2015). Children with AMB have a range of difficulties in the domains of auditory (e.g., poor verbal working memory, speech comprehension (especially in noise), localization], cognitive [e.g., attention), linguistic (e.g., syntactic impairment), and social processing (e.g., poor adaptive and self-esteem skills) (Lamminen and Houlihan, 2015; Moncrieff et al, 2004; Popescu and Polley, 2010; Whitton and Polley, 2011).…”

“…It is presumed that the listener’s dominant ear offsets and counterbalances deficiencies in binaural processing of auditory information while the non-dominant ear is developmentally deprived, leading to a deficit in binaural integration of complex signals (Lamminen and Houlihan, 2015). Children with AMB have a range of difficulties in the domains of auditory (e.g., poor verbal working memory, speech comprehension (especially in noise), localization], cognitive [e.g., attention), linguistic (e.g., syntactic impairment), and social processing (e.g., poor adaptive and self-esteem skills) (Lamminen and Houlihan, 2015; Moncrieff et al, 2004; Popescu and Polley, 2010; Whitton and Polley, 2011). A unilateral deficit during dichotic listening tasks has long been attributed to callosal dysfunction (Musiek, 1983; Musiek and Weihing, 2011), though later studies have recognized that functional asymmetries along the auditory system might provide a basis for the disorder, possibly as low as the brainstem superior olivary complex (Hiscock and Kinsbourne, 2011; Moncrieff et al, 2008; Tollin, 2003).…”