Abstract
To establish the relationship between speech intelligibility index (SII) values generated at the verification of hearing aids programmed according to DSLm [i/o] v5 prescription rule and a proposed individual classification that considers the combination of hearing loss degree and configuration. Forty-one children aged between 4 and 80 months were selected, totaling 78 ears for analysis. We considered hearing thresholds at the frequencies of 250, 500, 1000, 2000 and 4000 Hz; and analyzed values of the Speech Intelligibility Index (SII) for the input signal of 65 dB SPL obtained during the verification of hearing aids using the equipment Verifit®Audioscan. Hearing losses were classified into five homogeneous groups regarding audiometric degree and configuration. The groups were heterogeneous when compared to each other. From the groups, three ranges of SII values were determined. Equations were developed for classification of hearing loss according to groups and for determination of the adjusted SII values. The SII value is a useful indicator of audibility for speech sounds in different characteristics of hearing losses, and can guide observations of auditory skills. The SII has stronger relationship with the association of the audiometric degree and configuration when compared with degree of hearing loss alone.
Highlights
The main objective of the hearing aid selection process in infants and children with hearing loss is to provide audibility to speech sounds and, foster the development of oral language[1].The hearing aid (HA) selection process in infants and young children is composed of integrated and sequential steps[2,3], namely: definition of hearing thresholds, selection of electroacoustic characteristics of amplification, verification of amplification and, validation
-- that in public policies in Brazil, the professionals involved in the therapeutic process very often do not have specific knowledge about audiological measures, and that process of selection and adjustment of HA, are performed in specialized centers, this study aims at contributing to the stage when the audiological information set and characteristics of development of every child can guide the expectations of clinicians and families regarding the development of oral language
This study aims to conduct a comparative analysis between Speech Intelligibility Index (SII) values for the input of 65 dB SPL generated during the verification of HA devices programmed according to the DSLm[i/o] v5 prescription and a proposed classification that considers the association of the variables degree and configuration of hearing loss, in order to use as an indicator that may guide the observation of auditory skills likely considering complex factors involved in the child population, during the first stages of the validation process
Summary
The hearing aid (HA) selection process in infants and young children is composed of integrated and sequential steps[2,3], namely: definition of hearing thresholds, selection of electroacoustic characteristics of amplification, verification of amplification and, validation. These steps, well known by professionals, are systematically described in available protocols of good practice in pediatric audiology[4,5,6]. For the same hearing loss, different values of gain and output are calculated, which confirms the need for the verification step[7,8]
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