Comparing criteria for deviation from hearing aid prescriptive targets in children

Abstract

Objective

To determine if a stricter criterion for paediatric hearing aid fitting for proximity of fit-to-target of <3 dB root-mean-square (RMS) error produces better audibility and outcomes compared to the current <5 dB criterion, and to examine the relationship between aided audibility and RMS error by degree of hearing loss.

Design

We evaluated the influence of unaided hearing level on the relationship between RMS error and aided audibility. We assessed the effect of RMS error category (<3, 3–5, >5 dB) on aided audibility, speech recognition, expressive vocabulary, and morphosyntax.

Study sample

The study included 2314 hearing aid verification measurements from 307 children with hearing aids.

Results

Children who met a <3 dB criterion had higher aided audibility than children who met no criterion (>5 dB error). Results showed no differences in speech recognition or vocabulary by error category, but children with <3 dB error demonstrated better morphosyntax than children with 3–5 and >5 dB RMS error.

Conclusions

Fittings that are close to prescriptive targets provide a more positive outcome for children with hearing aids. Using probe microphone measures to adjust hearing aids to within 3 dB may benefit language abilities in children.

Keywords:

• RMS error
• prescriptive targets
• hearing aids
• children
• SII

Authors contributions

R.W.M., E.A.W., and M.B. designed the project; R.W.M., E.A.W., and M.S. conducted data collection; K.B.W, M.B. provided statistical analysis of the data. K.B.W. wrote the paper and the remaining authors provided critical revision. Special thanks go to the families and children who participated in the research and to the examiners at the University of Iowa, Boys Town National Research Hospital, and the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by author(s).

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by NIH/NIDCD R01DC013591 (PI: Ryan W. McCreery), R01DC019081 (PI: Elizabeth Walker), and R01DC009560 (PIs: Mary Pat Moeller and J. Bruce Tomblin). The content of this project is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders or the National Institutes of Health.