Listening preferences in regard to speech in four children with developmental disabilities.

In a previous experimental study of children's listening responses in regard to speech sounds, autistic children showed preferential patterns which were in sharp contrast to a group of mentally-handicapped and normally-developing children. The present study reports the data obtained for four children whose clinical diagnosis (1) became available only some time after the study was carried out, and/or (2) differed from previously recorded clinical impressions. The results obtained support previous findings according to which a lack of attraction to speech sounds appears to be a feature of young autistic children's overall disregard to people. The present technique is discussed as a viable method to examine experimentally young autistic children's social unresponsiveness.