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Using Microphone Technology to Improve Speech Perception in Noise in Children with Cochlear Implants
Patti M Johnstone1, Kristen E T Mills1, Elizabeth Humphrey1
1Department of Audiology and Speech Pathology, College of Health Professions, University of Tennessee Health Science Center, Knoxville, TN.
Journal of the American Academy of Audiology
|October 4, 2018
Summary
Cochlear implant (CI) users, especially children, struggle with background noise. Adaptive directional microphones (ADMs) and remote microphones (RMs) significantly improve speech recognition in noise for pediatric CI users, sometimes matching normal hearing peers.
Area of Science:
- Audiology and Speech-Language Pathology
- Biomedical Engineering
- Pediatric Otolaryngology
Background:
- Cochlear implant (CI) users experience greater difficulties with speech understanding in background noise compared to normal hearing (NH) individuals.
- While dual-microphone technologies like adaptive directional microphones (ADMs) and wireless remote microphones (RMs) benefit adult CI users, their efficacy in children remains understudied.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the impact of ADM and RM technologies on speech perception in noisy environments for children and adolescents with CIs.
- To compare the performance of pediatric CI users with and without ADM/RM technology against age-matched NH controls.
Main Methods:
- A prospective study with a mixed, repeated measures design involving 10 pediatric CI users and 10 NH controls.
- Speech perception was assessed using spondee words in 20-talker babble noise across five microphone settings: T-Mic (TM) alone, ADM, and RM with TM at 50/50 and 75/25 ratios, and RM alone.
- Speech recognition thresholds (SRT80%) were calculated, and performance-intensity functions were analyzed to determine the effects of microphone configuration and signal-to-noise ratio (SNR).
Main Results:
- Pediatric CI users demonstrated significantly poorer speech recognition than NH peers in both quiet and noisy conditions when using only the T-Mic.
- The use of ADM or RM significantly improved speech recognition in noise for CI users, with an average advantage of 5.8 dB for ADM and up to 16 dB for RM100.
- With RM75 or RM100 settings, speech recognition performance in noise for CI users was comparable to that of NH peers.
Conclusions:
- Adaptive directional microphones (ADMs) and wireless remote microphones (RMs) enhance speech recognition in noise for pediatric cochlear implant (CI) users compared to T-Mic alone.
- While a disadvantage persists in quiet and favorable SNRs, microphone technology can help some pediatric CI users achieve performance levels similar to their NH peers in challenging noisy environments.
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