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Hearing-aid fitting in profoundly hearing-impaired children. Comparison of prescription rules
A F Snik1, S van den Borne, J P Brokx
1Department of Otorhinolaryngology, University Hospital, Nijmegen, The Netherlands.
Insights
Evaluating hearing aid fitting is crucial for cochlear implant selection. The modified NAL rule and DSL method showed fair agreement in calculating hearing aid gain for hearing-impaired children.
Area of Science:
- Audiology
- Pediatric audiology
- Hearing aid technology
Background:
- Hearing aid performance is key for cochlear implant candidacy.
- Optimal hearing aid fitting is essential before considering cochlear implantation.
- Prescribing methods for hearing aid gain are valuable, particularly for preverbal children.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the accuracy of hearing aid gain calculation methods.
- To compare calculated versus measured gain in profoundly hearing-impaired children.
- To assess the suitability of these methods for optimizing hearing aid fittings.
Main Methods:
- Compared calculated and measured hearing aid gain across frequencies.
- Evaluated three distinct hearing aid gain prescription methods.
- Included 16 profoundly hearing-impaired children who were successful hearing aid users.
Main Results:
- Found fair agreement between calculated and measured gain for two methods.
- The modified NAL rule and DSL (desired sensation level) method demonstrated good correlation.
- Individual variations in gain were observed, warranting further investigation.
Conclusions:
- The modified NAL rule and DSL method are valuable tools for assessing hearing aid gain in profoundly hearing-impaired children.
- Accurate hearing aid fitting can be supported by these prescription methods.
- These findings aid in optimizing hearing aid use and informing cochlear implant selection decisions.
Abstract:
Generally, the performance of a hearing-impaired child with his or her hearing aids is the major criterion in selection programmes for cochlear implantation. Thereto, it has to be considered whether the hearing-aid fitting is optimal. For this purpose, methods which prescribe hearing-aid gain are valuable, especially in young preverbal children. Three of these methods were evaluated by comparing the calculated and measured gain as a function of frequency in a selected group of profoundly hearing-impaired children (n = 16), all of whom were successful users of hearing aids. Fair agreement was found for the modified NAL rule applicable in profoundly hearing-impaired subjects and the DSL method (desired sensation level method).