Children with developmental language disorder: a frequency following response in the noise study

INTRODUCTION: Children with developmental language disorder have been reported to have poor temporal auditory processing. This study aimed to examine the frequency following response. OBJECTIVE: This work aimed to investigate speech processing in quiet and in noise. METHODS: Two groups of children were included in this work: the control group (15 children with normal language development) and the study group (25 children diagnosed with developmental language disorder). All children were submitted to intelligence scale, language assessment, full audiological evaluation, and frequency following response in quiet and noise (+5QNR and +10QNR). RESULTS: Results showed no statically significant difference between both groups as regards IQ or PTA. In the study group, the advanced analysis of frequency following response showed reduced F0 and F2 amplitudes. Results also showed that noise has an impact on both the transient and sustained components of the frequency following response in the same group. CONCLUSION: Children with developmental language disorder have difficulty in speech processing especially in the presence of background noise. Frequency following response is an efficient procedure that can be used to address speech processing problems in children with developmental language disorder.