A Novel Intervention for Training Auditory Attention in Adolescents with Autism Spectrum Disorder
Abstract
This application is in response to the FY17 Autism Research Program Clinical Translational Research Award and will address several critical research needs in the ASD community that have been identified: (1) We propose to develop and test a novel a cognitive/behavioral intervention that is grounded in our research that has identified a brain marker associated with difficulties coping with auditory stimuli in the environment. We know that these auditory symptoms, which are now part of the defining characteristics of ASD, can be extremely debilitating, lead to high levels of anxiety and disruptive behaviors, interfere with the ability to process speech and language, and limit opportunities to participate in daily life. (2) We are targeting this intervention to adolescents, prior the time they will be making the transition to adult life in the expectation that, if we can improve auditory attention at this transition stage, they will be more successful in adapting to the new environments they will encounter when they begin their adult lives in a new home, work, vocational, or educational setting. Our intervention is designed to train adolescents with ASD to adapt and attend to auditory cues in different contexts and will be implemented in a tablet-based game app that is highly engaging and accessible to a wide range of individuals with ASD. It is designed to be implemented in the home with the support of family members (who will be guided by project staff). We will evaluate how successful the intervention is in changing auditory attention in a variety of contexts, including the brain marker that we have identified as associated with poor auditory attention. Based on our pilot research, we expect that the intervention will be successful for at least some adolescents. The project will address the following Specific Aims: Aim 1. To evaluate whether our newly developed intervention leads to improvement in auditory attention, as assessed by behavioral changes over the course of the training. We will evaluate the intervention in an early-phase, randomized controlled trial with training extending over 4 to 8 weeks. Evaluations of change over the course of training will identify the optimal length of time for the intervention. Aim 2. To investigate the impact of the intervention on behavioral assessment of problems hearing speech in noise, neural processing of sounds (our brain marker), and changes in parent report on responses to sounds that impact the daily lives of the participants. Aim 3. To identify which adolescents with ASD benefit the most and the least from the intervention using pre-treatment brain and behavioral measures. The findings will allow us to target more precisely who should be enrolled in future larger-scale randomized clinical trials and, in the long-term, who is mostly likely to benefit from the intervention. The proposed research is the first to develop an intervention that targets a key, but neglected, symptom of ASD in the context of a fun tablet-based game app that adolescents with ASD will enjoy playing. Given the relatively large numbers of individuals with ASD who suffer from auditory processing difficulties, the intervention will ultimately benefit a significant number of people with ASD at a critical time in their lives. Our long-term goal is to facilitate the transition to adulthood by helping adolescents with ASD better tolerate and function in new sound environments. The target of intervention, the technological approach, and the plans to implement the personalized intervention in the home under parental guidance are all highly innovative aspects of the project and will facilitate the translation of this early-phase clinical trial to the next stages of research that will eventually lead to widespread implementation. Our ultimate goal is to release the game to the community, along with information that will help families support their children in improving their at
Document Details
- Document Type
- DoD Grant Award
- Publication Date
- Oct 29, 2018
- Source ID
- W81XWH1810241
Entities
People
- Helen Tager-Flusberg
Organizations
- Boston University
- United States Army