New-borns can undergo hearing tests to combat autism

According to a new study, autism can be diagnosed among the new-borns with a simple hearing test. The process would enable treatments to commence years before the onset of symptoms. Testing at birth could allow for optimized early interventions that improve outcomes, according to a review in The Journal of the American Osteopathic Association.

“Uncovering hearing issues would also improve outcomes for all children because the finding would trigger early interventions. We know the vast majority of people with autism have some type of hearing problem connected to abnormalities in the brain. That means these issues will be present and detectable at birth,” Randy Kulesza, Jr., PhD, Professor of Anatomy at Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine opined.

Kulesza acknowledges that while the vast majority of people with autism have hearing issues, not everyone with hearing issues has autism. Still, he says early detection would benefit both groups. “Especially early in life, the brain is very plastic, meaning the right early interventions can literally train out those deficits. The person might not be perfectly neuro-typical but such interventions can improve function,” Kulesza opined.

He also notes that hearing is critical to speech-language development, which in turn, also affects social-emotional development. By optimizing auditory function, the person's quality of life can be profoundly better.

Currently, newborn babies have their hearing tested. However, Kulesza says those tests merely assess whether the child can hear on a pass/fail basis. He says stapedial reflex testing provides much more information about the types of dysfunction that may be present.

Stapedial reflex testing, also known as acoustic reflex testing, measures pressure changes in the middle ear in response to sounds. It assesses a person's sensitivity and response times to a wide range of frequencies.

“Often people with autism suffer from hypersensitivity, meaning even relatively quiet sounds can feel like overwhelming noise. If parents and physicians understand that from the start, they can work to acclimate the child's sensitivity and make his or her experience of the world much less intense and frightening,” Kulesza added.

While there are clear connections between autism spectrum disorders and auditory dysfunction, Kulesza says more research is needed to understand how best to employ interventions for those who have hearing issues.

One serious concern Kulesza shares is causing unnecessary stress to parents. He emphasizes that stapedial reflex testing should not be presented as a diagnostic tool for autism. Rather, parents should understand that testing positive for auditory dysfunction allows for tailored early intervention that will maximize their child's potential.