Measuring speech recognition in children with cochlear implants in a virtual classroom

Area of Science:

• Audiology
• Speech-Language Pathology
• Pediatric Otolaryngology

Background:

• Pediatric cochlear implant (CI) users often face challenges with speech recognition in acoustically complex environments.
• Evaluating the impact of reverberation and noise on CI users' auditory performance is crucial for educational success.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess the feasibility of virtual auditory test materials for evaluating reverberation and noise effects on pediatric CI users' speech recognition.
• To compare the speech recognition performance of pediatric CI users with that of children with normal hearing.

Main Methods:

• Virtual test materials simulating reverberant and non-reverberant conditions were employed.
• Speech recognition was measured in quiet and noise for 7 pediatric CI users and in quiet for 18 children with normal hearing.
• Direct connect audio input to CI speech processors was used for CI users; insert phones were used for normal-hearing children.

Main Results:

• Speech recognition significantly declined in reverberant conditions for pediatric CI users.
• Individual variability in susceptibility to reverberation was observed among CI users.
• Pediatric CI users required higher signal-to-noise ratios than normal-hearing children in reverberant environments.

Conclusions:

• Direct connect testing with virtual reverberant materials effectively assesses speech recognition in simulated classroom acoustics.
• This method can identify pediatric CI users whose speech recognition is significantly impaired by reverberation and noise.
• The findings support the use of such tests for optimizing auditory rehabilitation and educational support for children with CIs.