This program was designed to test the defects in central auditory perception and hearing associated with brain illnesses, such as stroke, brain tumor and traumatic brain injury. These disorders often injure just one hemisphere and they produce an imbalance of perception across the two cerebral hemispheres. This produces the phenomena of auditory imperception and neglect for sound coming into the ear opposite the side of the brain lesion.
The program was designed to screen basic auditory acuity so that subsequent stimuli are presented at the correct volume level. The next step is to present sound stimuli to each ear and then both ears in a systematic fashion. The stimuli include monaural (single ear), binaural (both ears, same sounds), and dichotic (both ears, different sounds) presentations of pure tones, numbers, syllables, environmental sounds and spondaic words.
The user can select any combination of these stimuli using a simple point-and-click method, or choose a standard set of stimuli. Following presentation, the program sorts the responses and stimuli and scores the responses. The user can save the responses on the iPad and/or email the results to any email address.
All of the sound stimuli are 16 bit, 44Hz sound samples. The test was used in these studies:
Williams, J. M. & Coleman, A. R. (2008). Sound Stimulus Qualities and Severe Auditory Neglect. Neurocase, 14, 3, 223-230.
Coleman, A. R. & Williams, J. M. (2006). Attenuation of Auditory Neglect by Implicit Cues. Journal of the International Neuropsychological Society, 12, 5, 1-8.
Copyright 1993 by Joseph M. Williams