Listening in a noisy world: The impact of acoustic cues and background music on speech perception in autism.

ABSTRACT: Recognising speech in noise involves focusing on a target speaker while filtering out competing voices and sounds. Acoustic cues, such as vocal characteristics and spatial location, help differentiate between speakers. However, autistic individuals may process these cues differently, making it more challenging for them to perceive speech in such conditions. This study investigated how autistic individuals use acoustic cues to follow a target speaker and whether background music increases processing demands. Thirty-six autistic and 36 non-autistic participants, recruited in the United Kingdom, identified information from a target speaker while ignoring a competing speaker and background music. The competing speaker's gender and location either matched or differed from the target. The autist

SUBMITTER: Li J 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12717287 | biostudies-literature | 2026 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature