Effect of Amplification on Speech and Language in Children With Aural Atresia

There currently is no guideline regarding amplification or verification for children with aural atresia. This population, with the absence of the ear canal, has obvious congenital hearing loss. Research suggests that delayed treatment for hearing loss can result in speech and language impairments, including poor performance in school. In this study we examined the relationship between amplification and emerging speech and language development in children with aural atresia.

Subjects included children, 3 to 6 years of age, with conductive hearing loss due to atresia. Clinical evaluations were used to determine relationships between amplification and speech and language development. Subjects underwent an audiology exam, including pure-tone or warble-tone air and bone conduction using play audiometry techniques, and a speech and language evaluation assessing language and vocabulary skills.

Subjects who were fitted before 1 year of age showed better compliance with aid use and exhibited fewer delays in speech and language development. Children with right-sided atresia had significantly greater speech and language delays when compared with age norms from standardized tests.

Our findings highlight a relationship between side of atresia, time of first amplification, compliance in aid use, and speech and language abilities.