Year: 2025
Type: article
Study design: Observational Study
Abstract: ABS TRACT Objective: Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and hearing loss can coexist or present with similar findings during early childhood.The aim of this study was to assess ASD symptoms in children with severe to profound hearing loss using the Autism Spectrum Screening Questionnaire (ASSQ).Material and Methods: This study included 32 children aged between 6-9 years with severe to profound hearing loss.The Turkish version of the ASSQ (ASSQ-TR) was administered to the children.Results: The mean score of all participants was 7.56 (±9.53).The scores of 5 participants exceeded the cutoff score of 16 and showed signs of ASD.The mean score of these children was 26.2 (±9.83).It is noteworthy that the gender of these 5 children is male.The weak negative correlation between the total score of the scale and the duration of the auditory device experience was statistically significant.Conclusion: According to the ASSQ-TR scale, the children who scored above the cutoff score had passed the early childhood period but were not assessed for ASD previously.The presence of similar findings in both ASD and hearing loss may delay the diagnosis and intervention of autism in children with hearing loss.Conversely, the overlap of symptoms may also lead to a delayed diagnosis of hearing loss in children with ASD.The overlap of the symptoms of hearing loss and ASD can overshadow the diagnoses, negatively affecting the intervention for individuals with either diagnosis.Assessment methods should be expanded, and professionals should be more attentive to children with either disorder.
Institution: Ankara Yıldırım Beyazıt University
Language: English
Subfield: Cognitive Neuroscience
Field: Neuroscience
Domain: Life Sciences
Open Access status: gold
Estimated APC paid: $100
OpenAlex ID: W4415375957