Impact of Abacus Training on Auditory Function in Children Publisher



Khosravi A ; Rezapour Z ; Rashidi F ; Dastgerdi ZH
Source: Indian Journal of Otolaryngology and Head and Neck Surgery Published:2025

Abstract

This study evaluated the auditory performance of children who underwent abacus training using well-established auditory processing tests. It also examined how the age at which they started learning the abacus influenced their test scores. Sixty-five children aged 9–13 years were finally included in the study. The initial inclusion criteria allowed for children aged 8–14 years, but based on screening results, only those within the 9–13 age range were eligible for final participation. The participants divided into two groups: those trained in abacus and those untrained. Both groups completed a series of auditory processing tests. The age at which the abacus-trained children began learning the abacus ranged from 5–10 years. The test battery included the dichotic digit (DDT), pitch pattern (PPST), monaural selective auditory attention test (mSAAT), and digit span tests. The results showed that the two groups differed significantly only in the right-ear dichotic test (p < 0.001) and the memory tests (forward span: p = 0.008, backward span: p < 0.001). No correlation was found between the age at which abacus training began and auditory processing performance in this study (p > 0.05). The findings suggested that abacus training can transfer to certain auditory skills, including dichotic listening and auditory memory. © 2025 Elsevier B.V., All rights reserved.