Relationship of Auditory Processing through Binaural Interaction with the Degree of Speech Intelligibility in Children with Phonological Disorders

Introduction: The integrity of the structures responsible for the entry and processing of auditory information is fundamental in the language acquisition process. One of the skills performed by these structures is binaural integration, characterized by the ability of the central auditory nervous system combining information coming from the two ears, contributing to the understanding of acoustic characteristics of the sounds, being fundamental in the distinction between speech sounds with many similar acoustic characteristics.

Objectives: To verify the relationship between the results of auditory processing ability through binaural interaction via masking-level difference (MLD) test in children with phonological disorder diagnosis, with varying degrees of speech intelligibility.

Methods: The research methodology is characterized as a quantitative and descriptive study using secondary analysis of data collected in the database VALDEF (CEP UFCSPA—process N° 621.047 and CNPq—process N° 483886/2010-6). The database is composed of 130 children of both genders, with phonological disorders, of which 57 have auditory processing through MLD, composing the study sample.

Results: Of the 57 tests analyzed, 34 (59.7%) had altered results and 23 (40.3%) had results within the normal limits in MLD test. Of the 34 subjects with altered results, 20 (58.8%) had speech intelligibility of mild-moderate degree, with the percentage of correct consonants between 66 and 85%.

Conclusion: A significant number of children had abnormal MLD test, demonstrating the importance of assessing auditory processing in children with phonological disorder diagnosis.