Effects of Combined Sound and Working Memory Therapy on Medial Olivocochlear System and Auditory Sensory Gating in Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder: A Preliminary Investigation Using Contralateral Suppression of Transient Evoked Otoacoustic Emi

Background and Objectives: : This preliminary investigation evaluated the effectiveness of sound therapy and working memory training in improving auditory sensory gating in children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), as measured by contralateral suppression of otoacoustic emissions. Subjects and Methods: : Twenty-one children diagnosed with ASD participated in the study. Participants were randomly assigned to either a control group or an experimental group. The experimental group received a combined intervention consisting of sound and working memory training (SWMT). Within this group, participants were subdivided to receive one of three sound stimuli-white noise, waterfall sound, or Quranic recitation-along with working memory training. Contralateral transient evoked otoacoustic emissions (TEOAEs) were recorded before and after the intervention. Measurements included the absolute amplitude of overall suppression and frequency-specific suppression amplitudes. Statistical analyses were conducted to evaluate changes in TEOAE suppression from before to after the intervention, as well as to compare differences between groups. Results: : Based on TEOAE absolute amplitude, all experimental groups demonstrated increased contralateral TEOAE suppression following SWMT, with the greatest improvement observed in the white noise group. In addition, white noise WMT produced enhanced suppression across all octave frequencies, whereas the effects of waterfall sound and Quranic recitation WMT were restricted to frequencies of 1 kHz and 4 kHz, respectively. These findings are consistent with the gain score analysis, in which white noise yielded the highest suppression across all frequencies except 1 kHz. Conclusions: : SWMT appears to be a promising approach for enhancing auditory sensory gating in children with ASD, as evidenced by improvements in contralateral TEOAE suppression. Among the sound modalities tested, white noise combined with working memory training produced the greatest enhancement in TEOAE suppression.