Correlation between Behavioral Auditory Processing Evaluation and Long-Latency Auditory Evoked Potential in Children with Complaint of Learning Difficulty

Introduction: Performing behavioral and electrophysiological evaluation, we analyze concomitant behavior and functional capacity to identify the origin of the difficulties of assessed hearing abilities and therefore learning difficulties.

Objective: To determine whether there is agreement between three tests that assess behaviorally auditory processing and results in long latency auditory evoked potentials and cognitive in children aged 9 to 12 years with complained of difficulty in learning.

Methods: The study population consisted of 30 children. All underwent ENT evaluation and complete peripheral audiological evaluation. Afterwards they also underwent (central) auditory processing and long latency auditory evoked potentials and cognitive potential P3. Three tests of auditory processing were selected: dichotic of digits, RGDT, and PPS.

Results: We considered only children who showed the presence of some valued wave. The gender we observed had no significant difference in any of the tests. There was a significant difference between the ears only for the dichotic listening (p = 0.026). When relating the findings of LLAEP with age and RGDT, there was a significant negative association of age with the findings of latency P1 and N1 on the left ear. RGDT negative associations were also found with the findings of latency N1 and P2 in the left ear. There was a significant negative association between the P3 with the naming PPS, and the higher the values of P3, higher were the values of the percentage of PPS step styling.

Conclusion: There is a correlation between the findings of behavioral and electrophysiological assessment of auditory processing in children aged 9 to 12 years old, complaining of difficulty in learning.