Development of the Turkish hearing in noise test for children

Abstract

Objectives: The aim of this study is to develop the Turkish version of hearing in noise test for children (HINT-C) by providing norms and correction factors for the children in different age groups. Methods: A total of 77 individuals with normal hearing – 62 children (6–12 years old) and 15 adults (18–30 years old) – were included. Twelve phonemically balanced 10-sentence lists were created from the adult version of the Turkish HINT (Study 1). Age-specific norms, correction factors and maturation effects were examined using the Turkish HINT-C (Study 2). Results: Mean performances under different listening conditions and Spatial Release from Masking (SRM) advantage values were obtained for the 6-, 8-, 10-, and 12-year-old and estimated for the 7-, 9-, and 11-year-old age groups, and correction factors were calculated for all children age groups. Turkish-speaking children did not achieve adult-like hearing in noise performance, until they were 12 years old. Conclusions: Twelve phonemically balanced 10-sentence lists of Turkish HINT-C were created, and the mean performances of children in different age groups were measured. In addition to the age-specific HINT-C norms and correction factors for the 6-, 8-, 10-, and 12-year-old age groups, the maturation effects were determined. Highlights The assessment of speech-in-noise perception is highly critical for children. To evaluate the speech-in-noise perception ability, 12 phonemically balanced 10-sentence lists of Turkish HINT-C were created. Speech-in-noise perception ability improves with age. Turkish-speaking children do not achieve adult-like hearing in noise performance, until they were 12 years old.