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The aim of this study was to develop an open-set word recognition task in speech-weighted noise and in quiet for young children and examine age effects for open versus closed response formats. Dutch monosyllabic words were presented in quiet and in stationary speech-weighted noise to 4- and 5-year-old children as well as to young adults in an open-set response format. Additionally, performance in open and closed context was assessed, as well as in a picture-pointing paradigm More than 200 children and 50 adults with normal hearing participated in the various validation phases. Average fitted speech reception thresholds (50%) yielded an age effect between 4-year and 5-year olds (and adults), both in speech-weighted noise and in quiet. The closed-set format yielded lower (better) SNRs than the open-set format, and children benefitted to the same extent as adults from phonetically similar words in speech-weighted noise. Additionally, the 4 AFC picture-pointing paradigm can be used to assess word recognition in quiet from 3 years of age. The same materials reveal performance differences between 4 and 5 years of age (and adults), both in quiet and speech-weighted noise using an open-set response format. This relatively small yet significant difference in SRT for a gap of only 1 year shows a developmental change for word recognition in speech-weighted noise and in quiet in the first decade of life. The study is part of the protocol registered on ClinicalTrials.gov (ID = NCT04063748). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The current study aimed to investigate the feasibility of the digit triplet test (DTT) as a self-test in normal-hearing children at school-entry age (5–6 years) compared to an administrator-controlled test. Thirty-seven first grade elementary school children took part in this study. Next to a pure-tone screening, the test battery consisted of a DTT speech-in-noise screening (self-test and administrator-controlled assessment), and cognitive tests related to auditory/working memory and attention skills. The reference-SRT ± 2SD, obtained with the administrator-controlled DTT, was −9.8 ± 1.6 dB SNR, and could be estimated with a precision of 0.7 dB. The test duration for one ear was about 4.5 min. Self-tests resulted in higher (poorer) SRTs. Only a small proportion of children performed stably across repeated self-test administrations. With about 6 min for one ear, the test duration was rather long. The influence of auditory/working memory and attentional abilities appeared to be limited. Our data suggest that a self-administered DTT is not suitable for a large proportion of children at school-entry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

AbstractObjectiveDesignStudy sampleResultsConclusionAuditory-steady state responses (ASSRs) to stimuli modulated by different frequencies may differ between children and adults. These differences in response characteristics or latency may reflect developmental changes. This study investigates age-related differences in response strength, latencies, and hemispheric laterality indices of ASSRs for different modulation frequencies.Multi-channel EEG was used to measure ASSRs to broadband noise, modulated at either 40 or 80 Hz, presented at 70 dB SPL to the left, right, or both ears.This study involved 18 adults (20-26 years) and 17 children divided into two age groups: younger children (6-10 years) and older children (11-14 years).Advancing age was associated with increased response strength and prolonged latencies for 40-Hz ASSRs, with significant differences observed between adults and younger children. No significant age-related differences were noted for 80-Hz ASSRs. Laterality analysis indicated a right-hemisphere tendency for 40-Hz ASSRs in older children and 80-Hz ASSRs in younger children, respectively.The study indicates the development of 40-Hz ASSRs with increasing response strength and prolonged latencies. The results of children with normal hearing are important for further research on children with hearing impairment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Subjects implanted with a Direct Acoustic Cochlear Implant (DACI) show improvements in their bone conduction (BC) thresholds after surgery. We hypothesised that a new pathway for BC sound is created via the DACI. The aim of this study was to investigate the contribution of this pathway to the cochlear response via measurements of the promontory and round window membrane (RWM) velocities while stimulating with a conventional bone conductor. Design: This study was a cadaver head study with a repeated measures study design. Study Sample: Eight ears of five fresh-frozen cadaveric whole heads were investigated in this trial. Results: After DACI implantation the promontory and RWM velocities did not change significantly in the frequency range 0.5–2 kHz when the DACI was switched off. Conclusions: No significant changes in the relative vibration magnitude of the RWM after DACI implantation were observed. The improvements in BC thresholds seen in patients implanted with a DACI very likely have their origin in the changed impedance at the oval window after DACI surgery leading to a more efficient contribution from the inner ear components to BC sound. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: The recent integration of automated real-ear measurements (REM) in the fitting software facilitates the hearing aid fitting process. Such a fitting strategy, TargetMatch (TM), was evaluated. Test-retest reliability and matching accuracy were quantified, and compared to a REM-based fitting with manual adjustment. Also, it was investigated whether TM leads to better perceptual outcomes compared to a FirstFit (FF) approach, using software predictions only. Design and study sample: Ten hearing impaired participants were enrolled in a counterbalanced single-blinded cross-over study comparing TM and FF. Aided audibility, speech intelligibility and real-life benefits were assessed. Repeated measurements of both TM and REMs with manual adjustment were performed. Results: Compared to a REM-based fitting with manual adjustment, TM had higher test-retest reliability. Also, TM outperformed the other fitting strategies in terms of matching accuracy. Compared to a FF, improved aided audibility and real-life benefits were found. Speech intelligibility did not improve. Conclusions: Preliminary data suggest that automated REMs increase the likelihood of meeting amplification targets compared with a FF. REMs integrated in the fitting software provide additional reliability and accuracy compared to traditional REMs. Findings need to be verified in a larger and more varied sample. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: Measuring speech intelligibility in quiet and noise is important in clinical practice and research. An easy-to-use free software platform for conducting speech tests is presented, called APEX/SPIN. Design: The APEX/SPIN platform allows the use of any speech material in combination with any noise. A graphical user interface provides control over a large range of parameters, such as number of loudspeakers, signal-to-noise ratio and parameters of the procedure. An easy-to-use graphical interface is provided for calibration and storage of calibration values. To validate the platform, perception of words in quiet and sentences in noise were measured both with APEX/SPIN and with an audiometer and CD player, which is a conventional setup in current clinical practice. Study sample: Five normalhearing listeners participated in the experimental evaluation. Results: Speech perception results were similar for the APEX/SPIN platform and conventional procedures. Conclusions: APEX/SPIN is a freely available and open source platform that allows the administration of all kinds of custom speech perception tests and procedures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A letter to the editor is presented in response to the article "International Collegium of Rehabilitative Audiology (ICRA) recommendations for the construction of multilingual speech tests" published on April 29, 2015, along with the response from the authors.

Objective: Recently, the digit triplet test was shown to be a sensitive speech-in-noise test for early high-frequency hearing loss in noise-exposed workers. This study investigates if a further improvement is achieved when using a closed set of consonant-vowel-consonant (CVC) speech items with the same vowel, and/or a low-pass (LP) filtered version of the standard speech-shaped noise. Design: Speech reception thresholds in noise were gathered for the digit triplet, CVC, and CVC_LP test and compared to the high-frequency pure-tone average (PTA). Study sample: 118 noise-exposed workers showing a wide range of high-frequency hearing losses. Results: For the 84 Dutch-speaking participants, the CVC test showed an increased measurement error and a decreased between-subject variation, leading to a weaker correlation with the PTA2,3,4,6 (R = 0.64) and thus a lower sensitivity compared to the digit triplet test (R = 0.86). However, the use of LP-filtered noise resulted in a sensitivity improvement (R = 0.79 versus R = 0.64) due to the large increase in between-subject spread. Similar trends were found for the 34 French-speaking workers. Conclusions: Using CVC words with the same vowel could not increase the sensitivity to detect isolated high-frequency hearing loss. With LP-filtered noise, test sensitivity improved, but it did not surpass the original digit triplet test. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To compare results on the everyday sentence test 'FIST', the new closed-set sentence test 'FrMatrix', and the digit triplet screening test 'FrDigit3'. Design: First, the FrMatrix was developed and normative values were obtained. Subsequently, speech reception thresholds (SRTs) for the three types of tests were gathered at four study centers representing different geographic regions in Belgium and France. Study sample: Fifty-seven normal-hearing listeners took part in the normative study of the FrMatrix, and 118 subjects, with a wide range of hearing thresholds, participated in the comparative study. Results: Homogenizing the individual words of the FrMatrix with regard to their intelligibility resulted in a reference SRT of −6.0 (±0.6) dB SNR and slope at the SRT of 14.0 %/dB. The within-subject variability was only 0.4 dB. Comparison of the three tests showed high correlations between the SRTs mutually (>0.81). The FrMatrix had the highest discriminative power, both in stationary and in fluctuating noise. For all three tests, differences across the participating study centers were small and not significant. Conclusions: The FIST, the FrMatrix, and the FrDigit3 provide similar results and reliably evaluate speech recognition performance in noise both in normal-hearing and hearing-impaired listeners. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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AbstractObjectiveDesign and study sampleResultsConclusionTo investigate the reliability of a bilingual school-age hearing screening in four school grades based on the Digit Triplet Test (DTT) in two languages and to investigate three calculation methods for referral values in their ability to detect hearing losses and avoid false-positive results.3255 children, aged between 10 and 17 years old, were tested during a systematic hearing screening program in a bilingual, French-German area in Belgium. French speaking children were tested with a French DTT, German children were tested with a German DTT. The SRT-values, their stability and measurement error were investigated per grade and language. The number of false-positive results was studied for three referral methods, using additional audiometric data of 71 children.Our data showed that reliable results with high stability and a small measurement error can be obtained in only around two minutes per ear. Differences between languages are minimal and grade-specific referral values were necessary. A referral method considering the lowest SNRs in the adaptive staircase reduces the number of false-positive results substantially.The DTT versions of different languages can be used reliably in a bilingual school-age hearing screening program when grade-specific, alternative referral methods are implemented. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]