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The Feasibility of the Functional Listening Index-Paediatric (FLI-P®) for Young Children with Hearing Loss
Aleisha Davis1,2, Elisabeth Harrison1, Robert Cowan1,3
1Department of Linguistics, Macquarie University, Sydney 2109, Australia.
Insights
The Functional Listening Inventory for Pediatrics (FLI-P) is a feasible tool for tracking listening skills in children with hearing loss. It helps guide early intervention decisions for better outcomes.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Audiology
- Developmental Pediatrics
- Speech-Language Pathology
Background:
- Individualized early intervention is crucial for children with hearing loss.
- Relying solely on hearing thresholds and language tests can be insufficient for infants and young children.
- A tool to monitor functional listening skills is needed to inform intervention decisions.
Purpose of the Study:
- To establish the feasibility of the Functional Listening Inventory for Pediatrics (FLI-P) checklist.
- To monitor the development of functional listening skills in children with hearing loss.
- To inform early and ongoing intervention decisions for parents and professionals.
Main Methods:
- The FLI-P, a 64-item checklist, was completed by parents and/or a child's team.
- Listening development was tracked for 543 children with hearing loss over 6 years.
- Data were grouped by hearing loss, device, additional needs, and age at device fitting.
Main Results:
- The FLI-P demonstrated feasibility and viability as a clinical measure.
- The tool effectively identifies and tracks developing listening skills in children.
- Data supported broad application across diverse pediatric populations.
Conclusions:
- FLI-P scores provide valuable information to guide intervention discussions and decisions.
- The tool bridges the gap between audiological assessments and language measures.
- FLI-P supports individualized, evidence-based intervention for children with hearing loss.
Abstract:
(1) Background: There is clear evidence supporting the need for individualized early intervention in children with hearing loss. However, relying on hearing thresholds and speech and language test results to guide intervention alone is problematic, particularly in infants and young children. This study aimed to establish the feasibility of a tool to monitor the development of functional listening skills to inform early and ongoing decisions by parents and professionals. (2) Methods: The FLI-P® is a 64-item checklist completed by parents and/or a child's team. The listening development of 543 children with hearing loss enrolled in an early intervention and cochlear implant program was tracked with the FLI-P over a 6-year period. The scores for individual children were grouped according to hearing loss, device, additional needs, and age at device fitting. (3) Results: Results indicate that the FLI-P is a feasible and viable clinical measure that can be used to identify and track a child's developing listening skills. Its use across a wide range of children supports its broad application. Children's individual scores and aggregated group data were consistent with indicated expected differences and variations. Children's individual scores and aggregated group data indicated expected differences and variations. (4) Conclusions: Information provided by children's listening scores on the FLI-P can guide and support discussions and intervention decisions and bridge the gap between information from audiological assessments and language measures.
