Effect of Verbal Working Memory Training on Auditory Processing Abilities, Working Memory, and Listening Effort in Children With Central Auditory Processing Disorders

PURPOSE: The study aimed to assess the effect of verbal working memory (WM) training on auditory processing abilities, WM, and listening effort (LE) in children with central auditory processing disorders ((C)APD). METHOD: The study involved 20 children aged 9-12 years who were diagnosed with (C)APD and were divided into two groups: the verbal WM training group (received 18 sessions of training using digit span and 2 N-back tasks) and the placebo training group (watched and listened to short stories on a computer). Assessments were carried out at three time points (pretraining, posttraining assessment 1, and posttraining assessment 2) to evaluate the training effects. The tests for pretraining and posttraining assessments included auditory processing tasks (speech perception in noise-Indian English, gap detection test, duration pattern test, and dichotic consonant-vowel test), verbal WM tasks (revised auditory memory and sequencing test in Indian English and nonword repetition), visuospatial WM tasks (operation and reading span), and LE tasks (dual-task paradigm). RESULTS: The results showed that verbal WM training significantly improved auditory processing abilities, verbal WM, visuospatial WM, and LE from pretraining to posttraining assessments 1 and 2, with no significant differences between posttraining assessments 1 and 2, indicating benefits from the training. The results from the placebo training group showed no significant differences across any measures at any of the three assessment time points, indicating no effect of the training. CONCLUSION: Hence, considering the improvement in test results, verbal WM training may be a useful addition to therapeutic strategies and provide a more comprehensive approach to improving auditory processing and overall cognitive functioning in children with (C)APD.