Aided Cortical Auditory Evoked Potentials in Infants With Frequency-Specific Synthetic Speech Stimuli: Sensitivity,...

Area of Science:

• Pediatric Audiology
• Neuroscience
• Hearing Science

Background:

• Infant hearing aid users often cannot undergo traditional behavioral testing.
• Cortical auditory evoked potential (CAEP) testing offers a potential solution for assessing hearing in infants.
• Further data on CAEP sensitivity, repeatability, and feasibility in infants are needed.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess the sensitivity, repeatability, acceptability, and feasibility of CAEPs as a clinical measure of aided audibility in infants.
• To provide data on CAEP performance across different sensation levels (SLs) in the target age group.
• To evaluate CAEPs as a supplement to current clinical practices for infant hearing assessment.

Main Methods:

• 103 infant hearing aid users (3-7 months) underwent aided CAEP testing with mid-frequency (MF) and high-frequency (HF) stimuli.
• CAEP testing was repeated within 7 days.
• Behavioral testing (7-21 months) estimated stimulus sensation levels (SLs) for CAEP sessions; acceptability and feasibility were also assessed.

Main Results:

• Overall CAEP sensitivity was 70% (MF) and 54% (HF) for single tests at ≥0 dB SL, increasing to 84% (MF) and 72% (HF) with repeat testing.
• For SL >10 dB, sensitivity reached 94% (MF) and 79% (HF) with two tests.
• Feasibility was high with >99% completion rate and a median test duration of 24 minutes; caregivers reported positive experiences.

Conclusions:

• Aided CAEP testing effectively supplements clinical practice for infants not ready for behavioral assessment.
• Repeat CAEP testing is crucial for enhancing sensitivity in assessing aided audibility.
• Awareness of CAEP response variability is important for clinical application in infants.