Using masked bone-conducted speech as an aid in the detection of functional unilateral hearing losses in children

Abstract

A group of ten subjects with known unilateral hearing losses and a group of ten subjects with uncertain unilateral losses were presented spondee words at each subjects' bone-conducted speech-reception threshold ( BC-SRT) and write noise masking signal presented monaurally and binaurally through earphones. The masking level (dB) which interferes with the speech threshold has significance in determining the true sensitivity of each ear. The binaural masking interference level ( BMIL) is the masking intensity which interferes with the speech sensitivity of the good ear(s) while the monaural masking interference level for the ‘poor’ ear ( MMIL-‘poor’ ear) refers to the intensity interfering with the speech sensitivity of that ear. The monaural masking interference level for the good ear ( MMIL-good ear) is that intensity level interfering with its speech sensitivity. The relationships between these measures can be interpreted as positive or negative in the detection of a functional loss. The ten known unilateral losses were found to be negative while seven of the uncertain losses were positive. The remaining three were negative.