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Attention and Speech Perception in Autism and ADHD
Dr. Emily Knight, MD, PhD, Assistant Professor of Pediatrics and Neuroscience at the University of Rochester Medical Center, will present a research seminar on attention and speech perception in autism and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder.
Dr. Knight’s research examines how differences in attention and audiovisual integration affect communication in children with autism and ADHD. Using electroencephalography and virtual reality methods, her lab studies the neural mechanisms underlying speech recognition in complex listening environments and explores how these findings may inform mechanism-informed supports.
Date: Thursday, February 19, 2026
Time: 2:30 to 3:30 p.m.
Location: Haring Center Auditorium, Room CD150
Many children with neurodevelopmental disabilities, including attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder and autism spectrum disorder, experience difficulty understanding speech in noisy, multi-talker environments. These challenges can affect learning and social participation.
In this seminar, Dr. Knight will share findings from a virtual reality and electroencephalography study examining audiovisual speech processing and visuospatial attention in children with ADHD or autism compared to neurotypical development. She will also describe a virtual reality-based training game designed to support attention and audiovisual integration while maintaining child-centered engagement.
Together, these studies highlight how selective attention and audiovisual integration may shape speech-in-noise perception and represent promising targets for intervention development. Dr. Knight directs the Spectrum Brain Lab, which advances understanding of neural mechanisms underlying sensory perception, social communication, and attention in autism and related conditions.
The Seminars in Hearing and Communication Sciences series is a collaboration between the University of Washington Department of Speech and Hearing Sciences and the Virginia Merrill Bloedel Hearing Research Center.
View the event flyer.
To learn more, contact Llyne Foy at lfoy@uw.edu.
To request disability accommodations, contact Disability Services at 206-543-6450 or dso@uw.edu.
Attention and Speech Perception in Autism and ADHD
Dr. Emily Knight, MD, PhD, Assistant Professor of Pediatrics and Neuroscience at the University of Rochester Medical Center, will present a research seminar on attention and speech perception in autism and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder.
Dr. Knight’s research examines how differences in attention and audiovisual integration affect communication in children with autism and ADHD. Using electroencephalography and virtual reality methods, her lab studies the neural mechanisms underlying speech recognition in complex listening environments and explores how these findings may inform mechanism-informed supports.
Date: Thursday, February 19, 2026
Time: 2:30 to 3:30 p.m.
Location: Haring Center Auditorium, Room CD150
Many children with neurodevelopmental disabilities, including attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder and autism spectrum disorder, experience difficulty understanding speech in noisy, multi-talker environments. These challenges can affect learning and social participation.
In this seminar, Dr. Knight will share findings from a virtual reality and electroencephalography study examining audiovisual speech processing and visuospatial attention in children with ADHD or autism compared to neurotypical development. She will also describe a virtual reality-based training game designed to support attention and audiovisual integration while maintaining child-centered engagement.
Together, these studies highlight how selective attention and audiovisual integration may shape speech-in-noise perception and represent promising targets for intervention development. Dr. Knight directs the Spectrum Brain Lab, which advances understanding of neural mechanisms underlying sensory perception, social communication, and attention in autism and related conditions.
The Seminars in Hearing and Communication Sciences series is a collaboration between the University of Washington Department of Speech and Hearing Sciences and the Virginia Merrill Bloedel Hearing Research Center.
View the event flyer.
To learn more, contact Llyne Foy at lfoy@uw.edu.
To request disability accommodations, contact Disability Services at 206-543-6450 or dso@uw.edu.
