Autistic children often face barriers to accessing timely and accurate hearing evaluations. Yet determining a child's hearing status is important for maximizing developmental outcomes when there are communication concerns.
Audiologists seeing children with autism or communication concerns should review their current assessment protocols against those evaluated in this study, as identified barriers may prompt workflow or referral pathway improvements.
Children with autism and communication difficulties are at high risk of delayed hearing diagnosis, and an evidence-based protocol could reduce that gap and improve outcomes.
- 01Study evaluated a structured hearing assessment protocol specifically for children with autism or communication concerns.
- 02Barriers to timely and accurate audiological evaluation in this population were identified.
- 03Published in Frontiers in Pediatrics (doi: 10.3389/fped.2026.1833679).
- 04Findings have direct implications for pediatric audiology workflow and referral practices.
- 05Children with autism are a population frequently underserved by standard audiological protocols.
Standard audiological evaluation processes present specific barriers for children with communication concerns or autism.
studypartially supportedA tailored hearing assessment protocol improves evaluation accuracy or timeliness in children with autism.
studyunclear- PMID
- 42440516
- DOI
- 10.3389/fped.2026.1833679.
- Journal
- Frontiers in Pediatrics
- Publication type
- research_article
- Evidence level
- 2b
- Population
- Children with communication concerns or autism spectrum disorder referred for audiological evaluation
- Intervention
- Structured hearing assessment protocol for children with communication or autism concerns
Primary outcomes
Feasibility and accuracy of the hearing assessment protocol; Identification of barriers to timely audiological evaluation