This study evaluated whether the linguistic multi-feature paradigm with five types of speech-sound changes and

novel sounds is an eligible neurophysiologic measure of central auditory processing in toddlers. Participants were 18

typically developing 2-year-old children. Syllable stimuli elicited significant obligatory responses and syllable

changes significant MMN (mismatch negativity) which suggests that toddlers can discriminate auditory features

from alternating speech-sound stream. The MMNs were lateralized similarly as found earlier in adults. Furthermore,

novel sounds elicited a significant novelty P3 response. Thus, the linguistic multi-feature paradigm with novel

sounds is feasible for the concurrent investigation of the different stages of central auditory processing in 2-year-old

children, ranging from pre-attentive encoding and discrimination of stimuli to attentional mechanisms in speech-like

research compositions. As a conclusion, this time-efficient paradigm can be applied to investigating central auditory

development and impairments in toddlers in whom developmental changes of speech-related cortical functions and

language are rapid.