Performance of children with mild or moderate sensory hearing loss on central auditory tests

Mona Mourad,Ghada Abdelkader,Mohammed Talaat,Rania Abdou

doi:10.4103/1012-5574.192544

Mona Mourad, Ghada Abdelkader + Show 2 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.4103/1012-5574.192544

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Abstract

Hearing is fundamental to the development of successful language skills. Deficits in hearing acuity and auditory processing (AP) can profoundly obstruct effective communication. Our study aimed to evaluate the performance of children with mild and moderate sensory hearing loss (HL) on central AP tests. The study included 50 children: 10 children with normal hearing who were used as controls; 20 children with mild sensory HL; and 20 children with moderate sensory HL. Both male and female children were equally represented. All children underwent otoscopic examination, pure tone audiometry, tympanometry, and acoustic reflex measurements. Questionnaires on central AP disorders, dyslexia, and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder were answered by the parents. Screening tests for AP abilities [pitch pattern sequence test, speech perception in noise (SPIN) right SPIN, left SPIN, dichotic digit test] were conducted. All children were then examined with the full versions of the previous tests in addition to auditory fusion test − revised, masking level difference test, binaural fusion test, competing sentence test, and low pass-filtered test. Arabic-version dyslexia assessment was carried out for those who failed the tests. The study revealed that children with mild and moderate HL who failed the screening tests also failed the full version tests, and when tested by the Arabic-version dyslexia assessment test, dyslexia was found as a comorbid condition.

Highlights

IntroductionDeficits in hearing acuity and auditory processing (AP) can profoundly obstruct effective communication
Hearing is fundamental to the development of successful language skills
For interpreting the screening results of the tested children, we considered the data collected from the screening project for central auditory processing (AP) performance in primary-school children, conducted in Alexandria, Egypt [8]

Summary

Introduction

Deficits in hearing acuity and auditory processing (AP) can profoundly obstruct effective communication. Sensory hearing loss (HL) is a major cause of childhood disability worldwide, with an estimated prevalence of one in 2000 neonates and six in 1000 children by 18 years of age [1]. Induced peripheral HL in animals and the resulting auditory deprivation has frequently been reported to produce specific alterations in anatomy and physiology as well as in the electrophysiology of the brainstem auditory nuclei [2]. There is increasing evidence in the literature that deprivation of sound stimulation can negatively influence the central structures of the auditory system, which correlates with the degree and time of detection of HL [3]. The prevalence of APD in school-aged children can be estimated at 5–7%, with a 2 : 1 ratio between boys and girls [5] Discrimination; auditory pattern recognition; temporal aspects of audition, including temporal resolution, temporal masking, temporal integration, and temporal ordering; auditory performance decrements with competing acoustic signals; and auditory performance decrements with degraded acoustic signals [4].

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