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Evaluating the benefit of speech recoding hearing aids in children
Denise R Miller-Hansen1, Peggy B Nelson, Judith E Widen
1Children's Mercy Hospital, Hearing and Speech Department, Kansas City, MO 64108, USA. dmiller@cmh.edu
American Journal of Audiology
|February 18, 2004
Summary
Dynamic Speech Recoding (DSR) hearing aids significantly improved speech audibility in children with high-frequency hearing loss. While beneficial, especially for those with poor word recognition, DSR devices required more frequent repairs than conventional aids.
Area of Science:
- Audiology
- Pediatric audiology
- Hearing aid technology
Background:
- Children with high-frequency hearing loss often face challenges with conventional hearing aids.
- Frequency-lowering hearing aids, utilizing Dynamic Speech Recoding (DSR) technology, offer a potential solution for audibility.
- DSR technology aims to make high-frequency speech sounds audible to children with specific hearing loss patterns.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the effectiveness of Dynamic Speech Recoding (DSR) hearing aids in children with high-frequency hearing loss.
- To compare the audibility and speech recognition improvements provided by DSR hearing aids versus conventional amplification.
- To assess the reliability and durability of DSR hearing aids in a pediatric population.
Main Methods:
- Investigated 78 children (ages 1.3–21.6 years) using DSR hearing aids.
- Measured pure-tone average (PTA) and high-frequency PTA improvements in aided versus unaided conditions.
- Compared DSR hearing aid performance with conventional hearing aids in a subgroup of 19 children, assessing PTA and word recognition scores.
Main Results:
- DSR hearing aids significantly improved pure-tone average (PTA) by 49 dB and high-frequency PTA by 56 dB.
- In a subgroup comparison, DSR hearing aids showed a 11 dB PTA improvement and 12.5% word recognition increase over conventional aids.
- Children with the poorest word recognition scores using conventional aids experienced the greatest benefit from DSR technology.
- DSR hearing aids were repaired three times more frequently than conventional hearing aids.
Conclusions:
- Dynamic Speech Recoding (DSR) hearing aids provide substantial audibility benefits for children with high-frequency hearing loss.
- DSR technology is particularly advantageous for pediatric hearing aid users with severe word recognition difficulties.
- While effective, the increased repair rate of DSR hearing aids warrants consideration for long-term management and cost-effectiveness.