The Cantonese Hearing in Noise Test for Children

Area of Science:

• Audiology
• Speech-Language Pathology
• Developmental Psychology

Background:

• Assessing speech perception in noise is crucial for children's communication development.
• Existing tests may not be suitable for young Cantonese-speaking children.
• The Cantonese Hearing in Noise Test (CHINT) needed a child-adapted version.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and validate a child-friendly version of the Cantonese Hearing in Noise Test (CHINT-C).
• To establish normative data and age-specific correction factors for CHINT-C.
• To evaluate the reliability and validity of the CHINT-C for children.

Main Methods:

• Adapted 120 child-appropriate sentences from the original CHINT into 12 lists.
• Administered the CHINT-C to 260 children (ages 6-17) and 21 adults (age 18+).
• Analyzed data for interlist reliability, test-retest reliability, validity, and normative values.

Main Results:

• The CHINT-C demonstrated good interlist and test-retest reliability.
• Children's speech perception in noise reached adult levels between 11-13 years of age.
• Age-specific correction factors were established for accurate assessment.

Conclusions:

• The CHINT-C is a reliable and valid tool for assessing Cantonese-speaking children's speech perception in noise.
• The established norms and correction factors allow for age-appropriate evaluation.
• This tool aids in identifying and managing hearing and speech difficulties in children.