Audibility-Based Hearing Aid Fitting Criteria for Children With Mild Bilateral Hearing Loss

Ryan W McCreery; Elizabeth A Walker; Derek J Stiles; Meredith Spratford; Jacob J Oleson; Dawna E Lewis

doi:10.1044/2019_LSHSS-OCHL-19-0021

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Audibility-Based Hearing Aid Fitting Criteria for Children With Mild Bilateral Hearing Loss

Journal article

Open access

Peer reviewed

Audibility-Based Hearing Aid Fitting Criteria for Children With Mild Bilateral Hearing Loss

Ryan W McCreery, Elizabeth A Walker, Derek J Stiles, Meredith Spratford, Jacob J Oleson and Dawna E Lewis

Language, speech & hearing services in schools, Vol.51(1), pp.55-67

01/08/2020

DOI: 10.1044/2019_LSHSS-OCHL-19-0021

PMCID: PMC7251589

PMID: 31913801

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https://doi.org/10.1044/2019_LSHSS-OCHL-19-0021View

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Abstract

Purpose Because of uncertainty about the level of hearing where hearing aids should be provided to children, the goal of the current study was to develop audibility-based hearing aid candidacy criteria based on the relationship between unaided hearing and language outcomes in a group of children with hearing loss who did not wear hearing aids. Method Unaided hearing and language outcomes were examined for 52 children with mild-to-severe hearing losses. A group of 52 children with typical hearing matched for age, nonverbal intelligence, and socioeconomic status was included as a comparison group representing the range of optimal language outcomes. Two audibility-based criteria were considered: (a) the level of unaided hearing where unaided children with hearing loss fell below the median for children with typical hearing and (b) the level of unaided hearing where the slope of language outcomes changed significantly based on an iterative, piecewise regression modeling approach. Results The level of unaided audibility for children with hearing loss that was associated with differences in language development from children with typical hearing or based on the modeling approach varied across outcomes and criteria but converged at an unaided speech intelligibility index of 80. Conclusions Children with hearing loss who have unaided speech intelligibility index values less than 80 may be at risk for delays in language development without hearing aids. The unaided speech intelligibility index potentially could be used as a clinical criterion for hearing aid fitting candidacy for children with hearing loss.

Details

Title: Subtitle: Audibility-Based Hearing Aid Fitting Criteria for Children With Mild Bilateral Hearing Loss
Creators: Ryan W McCreery - Audibility, Perception and Cognition Laboratory, Boys Town National Research Hospital, Omaha, NE
Elizabeth A Walker - Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders, The University of Iowa, Iowa City
Derek J Stiles - Audiology Program, Boston Children's Hospital, MA
Meredith Spratford - Audibility, Perception and Cognition Laboratory, Boys Town National Research Hospital, Omaha, NE
Jacob J Oleson - Department of Biostatistics, The University of Iowa, Iowa City
Dawna E Lewis - Audibility, Perception and Cognition Laboratory, Boys Town National Research Hospital, Omaha, NE
Resource Type: Journal article
Publication Details: Language, speech & hearing services in schools, Vol.51(1), pp.55-67
DOI: 10.1044/2019_LSHSS-OCHL-19-0021
PMID: 31913801
PMCID: PMC7251589
NLM abbreviation: Lang Speech Hear Serv Sch
ISSN: 0161-1461
eISSN: 1558-9129
Language: English
Date published: 01/08/2020
Academic Unit: Communication Sciences and Disorders; Biostatistics; Otolaryngology
Record Identifier: 9984214719302771

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