State of the art in speech perception assessment

Perceptual assessment constitutes a critical component of the evaluation process in deaf patients, providing essential information on speech perception abilities and informing auditory rehabilitation strategies. In the absence of standardized guidelines, existing clinical practices appear highly variable, both in terms of assessment tools and methodological approaches. The objective of this study was to characterize the assessment instruments currently employed by French-speaking speech-language therapists to evaluate the various domains of speech perception in deaf children and adults.

A cross-sectional survey was disseminated online to French-speaking speech language therapists engaged in the care of deaf patients. Recruitment was conducted via specialized professional Facebook groups and targeted email outreach.

A total of over 100 respondents completed the survey. Analysis of responses demonstrated substantial heterogeneity in the selection of assessment tools, encompassing both standardized instruments and practitioner-developed, unpublished tests lacking empirical validation. No consensus was identified regarding preferred measures or standardized assessment procedures for speech perception.

The observed variability underscores the urgent need to establish a standardized, evidence-based protocol for speech perception assessment in deaf populations. Such standardization would facilitate methodological consistency, enhance clinical decision making, and improve the comparability of research and clinical outcomes.