Speech perception and communicative-speech characteristics of hearing-impaired children with late hearing aid fitting

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Abstract

Late identification of hearing impairments in children has significant negative effect on child development, with speech and communication skills to be the most severely affected. research data indicate considerable variability in speech and communication outcomes among late-identified hearing impaired children. The aim of the current study was to examine the audiological indicators in late-identified hearing-impaired children and their correlations with the level of speech and communication development. 23 children aged 5 to 8 years with bilateral permanent sensorineural hearing loss of moderate to severe degree participated in the study. All children were fitted with binaural hearing aids after the age of 2.5 years (average age of first hearing aids fitting was 4.5 years). Hearing examination including speech audiometry and the assessment of the level of speech development and communication skills were utilized. results revealed a significant decline in performance among hearing-impaired children in all speech tests, both in quiet and noisy environments, when compared with normative data. A considerable delay in the level of speech and communicative development of hearing-impaired children compared with the normative data was revealed. The results indicate that late hearing aid fitting may cause secondary impairments of auditory function, including central auditory processing disorders, which may develop against the background of prolonged auditory deprivation. The importance of the early intervention programs and the implementation of the prompt hearing screening for young and preschool children to identify delayed hearing loss is emphasized.

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About the authors

E. S. Garbaruk

Saint Petersburg State Pediatric Medical University; Pavlov First Saint Petersburg State Medical University

Author for correspondence.
Email: kgrbaruk@mail.ru
Russian Federation, St. Petersburg; St. Petersburg

M. Y. Boboshko

Pavlov First Saint Petersburg State Medical University; Saint Petersburg State University

Email: kgrbaruk@mail.ru
Russian Federation, St. Petersburg; St. Petersburg

Y. S. Kibalova

Pavlov First Saint Petersburg State Medical University

Email: kgrbaruk@mail.ru
Russian Federation, St. Petersburg

D. I. Chernego

Saint Petersburg State University

Email: kgrbaruk@mail.ru
Russian Federation, St. Petersburg

A. A. Kozyreva

Saint Petersburg State University

Email: kgrbaruk@mail.ru
Russian Federation, St. Petersburg

O. P. Pavlova

Saint Petersburg State Pediatric Medical University

Email: kgrbaruk@mail.ru
Russian Federation, St. Petersburg

V. M. Knyazeva

Saint Petersburg State University

Email: kgrbaruk@mail.ru
Russian Federation, St. Petersburg

M. J. Vasilyeva

Saint Petersburg State University

Email: kgrbaruk@mail.ru
Russian Federation, St. Petersburg

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2. Fig. 1. Intelligibility of monosyllabic and polysyllabic words in silence (A) and noise (B). Gray color – results of hearing-impaired children; white color – normative data [13].

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3. Fig. 2. Intelligibility of phrasal speech (simplified RuMatrix test) in silence (A) and noise (B). See Fig. 1 for other symbols.

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4. Fig. 3. Intelligibility of monosyllabic and polysyllabic words in silence (A) and noise (B). White color – results of subgroup 1 (degree II hearing loss), light gray – subgroup 2 (degrees III–IV hearing loss).

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5. Fig. 4. Intelligibility of phrasal speech (RuMatrix test) in silence (A) and noise (B). * – p ˂ 0.005, ** – p < 0.001. For other symbols, see Fig. 3.

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6. Fig. 5. Comparative indicators of delays in speech and communication development in two subgroups of hearing-impaired children. IR – receptive speech; ER – expressive speech; RR – speech development; KS – communication skills; white – results of subgroup 1 (degree II hearing loss), light gray – subgroup 2 (degree III–IV hearing loss).

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