Capability of Children with Hearing Devices: A Mixed Methods Study.

Area of Science:

• Audiology
• Child Development
• Disability Studies

Background:

• Deaf and hard-of-hearing (DHH) children often face challenges in speech perception and language development.
• The capability approach offers a framework to assess well-being by focusing on freedoms and opportunities.

Purpose of the Study:

• To compare the well-being and capability of DHH children (aged 8-12) with hearing aids to their typical hearing peers.
• To explore the relationship between clinical measures and qualitative well-being outcomes in DHH children.

Main Methods:

• Utilized the capability approach through interviews to assess well-being in 34 DHH children and 30 typically hearing children.
• Retrospectively analyzed speech perception, phonology, and receptive vocabulary data for the DHH group.

Main Results:

• Significant variability was observed in the clinical outcomes of DHH children.
• Despite performance differences, DHH children demonstrated comparable capability and well-being to their hearing peers.
• Factors contributing to this capability equivalence were identified.

Conclusions:

• Clinical performance metrics do not fully capture the well-being and capability of DHH children.
• Capability outcomes provide valuable insights for tailoring auditory rehabilitation and support.
• Rehabilitation efforts should align with the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child.