Hyperacusis in gifted children and its impact on quality of life

The aim of this study is to determine the presence of hyperacusis in gifted children and evaluate its effect on quality of life.

The study included 47 children between the ages of 7 and 12 who did not have hearing loss, who were diagnosed as gifted by scoring 120 or more on the Weschler Intelligence Scale for Children-IV (WISC-IV) and who did not have any accompanying disabilities, and 27 age and gender matched children with normal intelligence.The 'Pediatric Hyperacusis Questionnaire Parent Form(P-HQ)' was applied to the children for hyperacusis assessment, and the 'Quality of Life Inventory for Children (PedsQL)' was applied for quality of life.

When the pediatric hyperacusis questionnaire parent form scores were compared between the groups, a statistically significant difference was obtained (p =.000).In the quality of life assessment made using the quality of life scale for children, a statistically significant difference was obtained between the groups in the sub-parameters of the test; physical health total score (p =.000),emotional functioning score (p =.032),social functioning score (p =.007),school functioning score (p =.000) and scale total score (p =.000).

Our study results showed that gifted children mostly complain of hyperacusis and that this complaint increases as their intelligence level increases.We believe that hyperacusis and its effect on quality of life should not be ignored in gifted children.Whenever possible, gifted children should be evaluated for hyperacusis and sensory sensitivities.We think that individualized therapy planning is necessary for the difficulties caused by sensory sensitivities that affect quality of life. Our findings revealed the necessity of hyperacusis assessment and therapy when working with gifted individuals.