Author:
Myszel Karol,Henryk Skarżyński Piotr
Abstract
Hearing impairment is a cause of many problems suffered by a patient. Apart from hearing problems also voice problems develop as a result. Already in deaf newborns, clear signs of voice disturbances appear soon after birth. Development of voice is delayed, babbling appears later and speech development depends on the time and kind of medical intervention. The reason of voice abnormalities in hearing impaired individuals is abnormal hearing control over voice production. Therefore, audiological intervention enabling better control, is an important factor for hearing and voice quality improvement. This chapter summarizes up-to-date knowledge on the influence of hearing aids and cochlear implants on voice quality of hearing impaired patients. Both literature studies and authors` own research show that the use of cochlear implants is the most effective tool of improving hearing and voice of people with hypoacusis. Cochlear implantation brings better results compared to hearing aids and the time of implantation plays a key role.