The development of auditory functions.
Typical development and maturation of the auditory system, at both the peripheral and central levels, is essential for the acquisition of speech, language, and auditory skills. The peripheral system generally encodes three basic parameters associated with auditory stimuli-time, frequency, and intensity. These acoustic cues are subsequently processed by the central auditory structures to reach and be perceived by the cerebral cortex. Observations of the human fetal and neonatal ear indicate that the peripheral auditory system is structurally and functionally adult-like at birth. In contrast, the central auditory system exhibits progressive anatomical and physiologic changes until early adulthood. Enriched experience with sound is fundamental and critical to auditory development. The absence of early and prolonged acoustic stimulation delays neuronal maturation, affecting the central auditory nervous system, in particular, and leading to atypical development. The present chapter reviews the various stages of development of the auditory system structures, especially the embryology of the human ear, before briefly presenting the trajectories of typical development of auditory abilities from infants to school-aged children.
['Jutras|Benoît|B|', 'Lagacé|Josée|J|', 'Koravand|Amineh|A|']
D000161:Acoustic Stimulation D001303:Auditory Cortex D001307:Auditory Perception D005072:Evoked Potentials, Auditory D006309:Hearing D006801:Humans D007802:Language D013067:Speech Perception
Development Auditory system Auditory abilities Infant Auditory perception Child