Abstract
To evaluate the family's perspective of benefits of the frequency modulation (FM) system adapted to children with sensorineural hearing loss. This is a descriptive, analytical, cross-sectional study with the participation of family members of hearing-impaired children aged 6 to 15 years, users of hearing aids and/or cochlear implants, benefited with the FM system by a hearing health service of the Unified Health System (SUS), Brazil. The FM Listening Evaluation For Children questionnaire with 14 questions was used to evaluate the benefits of using the FM system, the characteristics of the hearing aids and/or cochlear implants, and the brand/model of the FM system the children used. Statistically significant differences were found between the questionnaire responses of FM users and non-users in all situational analyses (quiet, noise, auditory only, distance), with better learning performance and improvements and attention among FM users, from the families' point of view. No method was used to formally evaluate such performances. It was observed that, according to the parents' and guardians' perceptions, the use of FM systems improves the performance of hearing-impaired children in various acoustic situations, with special emphasis on speech recognition in noisy environments and at increased distances from the sound source. Although used in different contexts and situations, the FM system has brought greater benefits for the children in the school environment, according to the respondents.
Highlights
Hearing is one of the five human senses and of great importance for the development of human communication[1].In early childhood, the senses have a central role in the apprehension of the exterior world and gain of experiences that will promote the child’s psychosocial development
The present study aimed to evaluate the benefit of using the frequency modulation system adapted to children with sensorineural hearing loss, taking into account the family’s view of this technology
The children who participated in this study were 6 to 15 years old, a mean age of 10.3 years, being 9 females (34.6%) and 17 (65.4%) males
Summary
Hearing is one of the five human senses and of great importance for the development of human communication[1].In early childhood, the senses have a central role in the apprehension of the exterior world and gain of experiences that will promote the child’s psychosocial development. Hearing is one of the five human senses and of great importance for the development of human communication[1]. Normal oral language acquisition depends on the anatomical and physiological integrity of the auditory system and hearing sensitivity, so alterations and impairments causing any type of hearing loss may affect the child’s learning process, cognitive development and social inclusion[2]. The hearing impairment diagnosis should be performed as early as possible, preferably before the sixth month of age[3]. Programs for the early detection and intervention of hearing impairment have made it possible and urgent to access the auditory environment via hearing aids. The primary aim of an early intervention program on hearing impairment is to support and encourage family members in structuring the child’s communication process[4,5]. Among the guidelines given to the family is the need for the use of hearing aids, including the frequency modulation (FM) system[6]
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