Hearing Aid Outcome Measures for Children

Abstract

AbstractThe provision of appropriate amplification for a young hearing-impaired child is critical as the aided speech signal will be used for the development of speech and language. The purpose of this paper is to provide an overview of the complex issues surrounding the documentation of hearing aid outcomes in the pediatric population. In the first two sections of the paper, the unique characteristics and needs of the pediatric population and factors complicating the measurement of outcome are described in detail. The third section provides a review of literature on existing outcome measures for children and the fourth section is devoted to a discussion of alternative approaches. The final section is an overview of clinical and research needs in the area of hearing aid outcome measures for children. Abbreviations: AAI = Aided Audibility Index; ABR = auditory brainstem response; Al = Articulation Index; APHAB = Abbreviated Profile of Hearing Aid Benefit; CL = compression limiting; COSI = Client-Oriented Scale of Improvement; DSL = Desired Sensation Level; HPIC = Hearing Performance Inventory for Children; LDL = loudness discomfort level; LIFE = Listening Instrument for Education; PC = peak clipping; SIFTER = Screening Instrument for Targeting Educational Risk; WDRC = wide dynamic range compression