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Auditory sensitivity in school-age children
S E Trehub1, B A Schneider, B A Morrongiello
1Erindale College, University of Toronto.
Insights
Auditory sensitivity improves from infancy through childhood, with peak hearing around age 10 for lower frequencies and earlier for higher frequencies. Hearing sensitivity changes with age, impacting different sound frequencies uniquely.
Area of Science:
- Auditory development
- Psychoacoustics
- Human audiology
Background:
- Auditory sensitivity develops significantly from infancy to adulthood.
- Previous research established auditory thresholds for infants, preschool children, and adults.
- A comprehensive understanding of auditory development across the lifespan is lacking.
Purpose of the Study:
- To determine auditory thresholds in children aged 6 to 16 years.
- To detail the developmental trajectory of auditory sensitivity from infancy to maturity.
- To investigate age-related changes in hearing sensitivity across various frequencies.
Main Methods:
- Measured octave-band noise thresholds (0.4–10 kHz) and 1/3-octave-band noise thresholds (10, 20 kHz).
- Included participants aged 6 to 16 years.
- Combined new data with existing data from infants, preschool children, and adults.
Main Results:
- Auditory sensitivity shows continuous improvement from infancy through school age.
- Peak auditory sensitivity for low frequencies (0.4, 1 kHz) occurs around 10 years; for mid-frequencies (2, 4 kHz) around 8 years.
- High-frequency (10 kHz) sensitivity stabilizes by 4-5 years, while 20 kHz sensitivity peaks around 6-8 years before declining to adult levels.
Conclusions:
- Auditory development is frequency-dependent, with distinct maturation patterns for different sound ranges.
- Hearing sensitivity in children differs significantly from adults, particularly at higher frequencies.
- Findings inform understanding of auditory development, ear maturation, and neural processing efficiency.
Abstract:
Thresholds for octave-band noises with center frequencies of 0.4, 1, 2, 4, and 10 kHz and 1/3-octave-band noises centered at 10 and 20 kHz were obtained from children 6 to 16 years of age. Such thresholds, combined with those obtained previously for infants, preschool children, and adults, provide a detailed picture of developing auditory sensitivity between infancy and maturity. Continuing improvements in sensitivity are evident from infancy through the preschool period, well into the school years. For stimuli with center frequencies of 0.4 and 1 kHz, maximal sensitivity is achieved at about 10 years of age, compared to 8 years for stimuli of 2 and 4 kHz. For 10-kHz stimuli, there is little change beyond 4 or 5 years of age. Finally, 20-kHz stimuli yield maximal sensitivity at about 6 or 8 years of age, followed by a progressive decline to adult levels. These findings are considered in relation to auditory sensitivity in nonhuman species, to structural and functional development of the ear, and to possible changes in the efficiency of neural processing.
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