Turning the Sound Down on Hyperacusis: A Study of the Clinical Effectiveness of Desensitization Therapy, Sound Phobia Desensitization, Tinnitus Retraining Therapy, and Auditory Integration Therapy for Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder

The purpose of this study was to investigate the clinical effectiveness of various treatment methods for children presenting with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and hyperacusis as perceived by Audiologists and Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) Therapists. The treatment methods that were investigated include Desensitization Therapy, Auditory Integration Therapy (AIT), Tinnitus Retraining Therapy (TRT), and Sound Phobia Desensitization. There has been limited prior research on the clinical effectiveness of all four treatment methods that were investigated. Therefore, this study extended the scholarship by investigating all four treatments and provided current reports of clinical effectiveness by practicing Audiologists and ABA Therapists. Data were collected through the use of two separate electronic surveys that were distributed to Audiologists and ABA Therapists. Extensive inclusion criteria were assessed with multiple-choice questions, while the reported clinical effectiveness of the various treatment methods was measured through Likert-type questions. A major result of the study found that Audiologists and ABA Therapists were in agreement that Desensitization Therapy was the most clinically effective treatment method of the four treatment methods that were investigated