Comparison of the absolute latency of wave V in the auditory brainstem response between the children with and without Autism

Background and Aim: Autism is a neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by disturbances in social interactions and limited and repeated behaviors. The symptoms of this disease appear before the age three. Autism affects information processing in the brain, and it also affects the relation between the nerve cells and synapses and their order. Therefore, the current study aimed at comparing the absolute latencies of wave V in the auditory brainstem response (ABR) between children with and without Autism. Methods: A total of 15 children with Autism and 15 healthy children, aged 4 to 6 years were enrolled in the current study. ABR with click stimulus was recorded at intensity of 75 dBnHL and rate of 27.1 for both groups. Results: The independent t-test was used in this study to determine the differences between the groups. The mean absolute latencies of ABR wave V for the right ear were 5.80 and 5.71, respectively, for the Autism and normal groups, whereas the mean absolute latencies for the left ear were 5.81 and 5.70, respectively, for the Autism and normal groups. The difference in the absolute latency of ABR wave V was significant between the groups both in the left and right ears (p 0.001). Conclusion: Since wave V indicates the performance of the auditory system, based on the obtained results, the absolute latency of wave V can provide specialists with an appropriate prognosis for the therapeutic approaches.