ABSTRACT
Purpose
To evaluate speech audibility in schoolchildren hearing aids users and correlate the Speech Intelligibility Index to phonemes detecion.
Methods
22 children and adolescents hearing aids users, underwent audiological evaluation, in situ verification (and consequent obtaining the Speech Intelligibility Index - SII - for conditions with and without hearing aids) and detection thresholds for phonemes by Ling-6 (HL) test.
Results
The average value for the SII was 25.1 without hearing aids and 68.9 with amplification (p <0.001 *). The phoneme detection thresholds in free field, in dBHL, were, without amplification /m/ = 29.9, /u/ = 29.5, /a/ = 35.5, /i/ = 30.8, /∫/ = 44.2 e /s/ = 44.9, and with amplification /m/ = 13.0, /u/ = 11.5 /a/ = 14.3, /i/ = 15.4, /∫/ = 20.4 e /s/ = 23.1 (p<0.001*). There was a negative correlation between SII and the thresholds of all phonemes in the condition without hearing aids (p≤0.001*) and between SII and the /s/ threshold with hearing aids (p = 0.036*).
Conclusion
The detection thresholds for all phonemes are lower than without hearing aids. There is a negative correlation between SII and the thresholds of all phonemes in the situation without hearing aids and between SII and the detection threshold of the phoneme / s / in the situation with hearing aids.
Keywords:
Speech Audiometry; Hearing Aids; Child; Hearing Loss; Hearing