Listening in a noisy world: the impact of acoustic cues and background music on speech perception in autism

Recognising speech in noise involves focusing on a target speaker while filtering out competing voices and sounds. Acoustic cues, like vocal characteristics and spatial location, help differentiate between speakers. However, autistic individuals may process these cues differently, making it more challenging for them to perceive speech in such conditions. This study investigated how autistic individuals use acoustic cues to follow a target speaker and whether background music increases processing demands. Thirty-six autistic and 36 non-autistic participants identified information from a target speaker while ignoring a competing speaker and background music. The competing speaker’s gender and location either matched or differed from the target. The autistic group exhibited lower mean accuracy across cue conditions, indicating general challenges in recognising speech in noise. Trial-level analyses revealed that while both groups showed accuracy improvements over time without acoustic cues, the autistic group demonstrated smaller gains, suggesting greater difficulty in tracking the target speaker without distinct acoustic features. Background music did not disproportionately affect autistic participants but had a greater impact on those with stronger local processing tendencies. Using a naturalistic paradigm mimicking real-life scenarios, this study provides insights into speech-in-noise processing in autism, informing strategies to support speech perception in complex environments.