Validation of the Vanderbilt Classroom Listening Assessment Short Survey for Children With Unilateral Hearing Loss.

Objectives: Children with unilateral hearing loss experience difficulties in classroom listening situations. There are a limited number of validated questionnaires available for monitoring listening development and quantifying the challenges school-aged children with unilateral hearing loss experience. The purpose of this study was to evaluate a survey that describes the classroom listening challenges reported by children with unilateral hearing loss with and without the use of personal hearing devices (air conduction hearing aid, bone conduction hearing aid, cochlear implant, contralateral routing of signals system).

Relationships Between Hearing-Related and Health-Related Variables in Academic Progress of Children With Unilateral Hearing Loss.

Purpose: School-age children with unilateral hearing loss are at an increased risk of exhibiting academic difficulties. Yet, approximately half of children with unilateral hearing loss will not require additional support. There is a dearth of information to assist in determining which of these children will express academic deficits and which will not.

Remote Microphone Systems for Autistic and Nonautistic Youth: Effects on Audiovisual Task Engagement.

Objectives: A recent study has provided empirical support for the use of remote microphone (RM) systems to improve listening-in-noise performance of autistic youth. It has been proposed that RM system effects might be achieved by boosting engagement in this population. The present study used behavioral coding to test this hypothesis in autistic and nonautistic youth listening in an ecologically valid, noisy environment.

Electrophysiological Measures of Listening-in-Noise With and Without Remote Microphone System Use in Autistic and Non-Autistic Youth.

Objectives: This study examined the neural mechanisms by which remote microphone (RM) systems might lead to improved behavioral performance on listening-in-noise tasks in autistic and non-autistic youth.

Design: Cortical auditory evoked potentials (CAEPs) were recorded in autistic (n = 25) and non-autistic (n = 22) youth who were matched at the group level on chronological age ( M = 14.21 ± 3.

The Use of Electronic Health Records for Behavioral Phenotyping of School-Age Children With Unilateral Hearing Loss: A Methodological Approach.

Purpose: This methodological study describes a technique for extracting information from de-identified electronic health records (EHRs) to identify occurrences of permanent unilateral hearing loss (UHL) and associated educational comorbidities.

Method: This was an exploratory methodological study utilizing approximately 3.3 million de-identified medical records.

A Comparison of Listening Skills of Autistic and Non-Autistic Youth While Using and Not Using Remote Microphone Systems.

Objectives: The purposes of this study were to compare (a) listening-in-noise (accuracy and effort) and (b) remote microphone (RM) system benefits between autistic and non-autistic youth.

Design: Groups of autistic and non-autistic youth that were matched on chronological age and biological sex completed listening-in-noise testing when wearing and not wearing an RM system. Listening-in-noise accuracy and listening effort were evaluated simultaneously using a dual-task paradigm for stimuli varying in type (syllables, words, sentences, and passages).

Plasticity Changes in Central Auditory Systems of School-Age Children Following a Brief Training With a Remote Microphone System.

Objectives: The objective of this study was to investigate whether a brief speech-in-noise training with a remote microphone (RM) system (favorable listening condition) would contribute to enhanced post-training plasticity changes in the auditory system of school-age children.

Design: Before training, event-related potentials (ERPs) were recorded from 49 typically developing children, who actively identified two syllables in quiet and in noise (+5 dB signal-to-noise ratio [SNR]). During training, children completed the same syllable identification task as in the pre-training noise condition, but received feedback on their performance.

Evidence for a Musician Speech-Perception-in-Noise Advantage in School-Age Children.

Purpose: The objective of this study was to evaluate whether child musicians are better at listening to speech in noise (SPIN) than nonmusicians of the same age. In addition, we aimed to explore whether the musician SPIN advantage in children was related to general intelligence (IQ).

Method: Fifty-one children aged 8.

An evaluation of newborn hearing screening brochures and parental understanding of screening result terminology.

Objective: To assess the suitability of newborn hearing screening brochures by evaluating current state-level brochures and pregnant people's understanding of screening result terminology.

Design: In Study 1, state-level brochures were evaluated based on readability, design, picture appropriateness, and use of the word "refer." In Study 2, pregnant people completed a questionnaire that queried their understanding of and expected anxiety about three newborn hearing screening outcomes ("refer," "did not pass," and "pass").

Remote Microphone Systems Can Improve Listening-in-Noise Accuracy and Listening Effort for Youth With Autism.

Objectives: This study examined whether remote microphone (RM) systems improved listening-in-noise performance in youth with autism. We explored effects of RM system use on both listening-in-noise accuracy and listening effort in a well-characterized sample of participants with autism. We hypothesized that listening-in-noise accuracy would be enhanced and listening effort reduced, on average, when participants used the RM system.

Central auditory system responses from children while listening to speech in noise.

Cortical auditory evoked potentials (CAEPs) have been successfully used to explore the effects of noise on speech processing at the cortical level in adults and children. The purpose of this study was to determine whether +15 dB signal-to-noise ratios (SNRs), often recommended for optimal speech perception in children, elicit higher amplitude CAEPs than more realistic SNRs encountered by children during their daily lives (+10 dB SNR). Moreover, we aimed to investigate whether cortical speech categorization is observable in children in quiet and in noise and whether CAEPs to speech in noise are related to behavioral speech perception in noise performance in children.

Remote Microphone System Use in Preschool Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder and Language Disorder in the Classroom: A Pilot Efficacy Study.

Purpose The present pilot study aimed to provide estimates of the feasibility and efficacy of a remote microphone (RM) system as an augmentative intervention to improve the functional listening performance of preschool children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and language disorder. Method Eight children with ASD and language disorder participated. Efficacy of the RM system was determined by evaluating participants' functional listening performance, as measured by an observational measure in RM-off and RM-on conditions.

Contralateral Routing of Signal Systems Can Improve Speech Recognition and Comprehension in Dynamic Classrooms.

Objective The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effects of hearing aid-based rerouting systems (remote microphone [RM] and contralateral routing of signals [CROS]) on speech recognition and comprehension for children with limited usable hearing unilaterally. A secondary purpose was to evaluate students' perceptions of CROS benefits in classrooms. Method Twenty children aged 10-16 years with limited useable hearing in one ear completed tasks of sentence recognition and comprehension in a laboratory.

Young Children's Attitudes Toward Peers Who Wear Hearing Aids.

Purpose This study examined whether young children with normal hearing demonstrated negative attitudes toward peers wearing hearing aids, often described as the "hearing aid effect." The effect of age on these attitudes was also examined. Method Forty-five typically developing children with normal hearing, aged 6-11 years, were recruited to answer questions about and rate photos of children with and without hearing aids in areas of peer acceptance as well as physical and cognitive competence.

Remote Microphone System Use in the Homes of Children With Hearing Loss: Impact on Caregiver Communication and Child Vocalizations.

Purpose This study examined the impact of home use of remote microphone systems (RMSs) on caregiver communication and child vocalizations in families of children with hearing loss. Method We drew on data from a prior study in which Language ENvironmental Analysis recorders were used with 9 families during 2 consecutive weekends-1 that involved using an RMS and 1 that did not. Audio samples from Language ENvironmental Analysis recorders were (a) manually coded to quantify the frequency of verbal repetitions and alert phrases caregivers utilized in communicating to children with hearing loss and (b) automatically analyzed to quantify children's vocalization rate, duration, complexity, and reciprocity when using and not using an RMS.

Considerations for Choosing Microphone Technologies for Students With Limited Useable Hearing Unilaterally.

Purpose Current recommendations for clinical management of school-aged children with limited useable hearing unilaterally primarily focus on remote microphone systems and preferential seating. The purpose of this narrative review is to examine the existing evidence supporting these recommendations. Method A narrative review was conducted, focused on nonsurgical interventions for children with limited useable hearing unilaterally.

Rerouting Hearing Aid Systems for Overcoming Simulated Unilateral Hearing in Dynamic Listening Situations.

Objectives: Unilateral hearing loss increases the risk of academic and behavioral challenges for school-aged children. Previous research suggests that remote microphone (RM) systems offer the most consistent benefits for children with unilateral hearing loss in classroom environments relative to other nonsurgical interventions. However, generalizability of previous laboratory work is limited because of the specific listening situations evaluated, which often included speech and noise signals originating from the side.

Consensus practice parameter: audiological assessment and management of unilateral hearing loss in children.

Provide recommendations to audiologists for the management of children with unilateral hearing loss (UHL) and for needed research that can lend further insight into important unanswered questions. An international panel of experts on children with UHL was convened following a day and a half of presentations on the same. The evidence reviewed for this parameter was gathered through web-based literature searches specifically designed for academic and health care resources, recent systematic reviews of literature, and new research presented at the conference that underwent peer review for publication by the time of this writing.

Remote Microphone System Use at Home: Impact on Child-Directed Speech.

Purpose The impact of home use of a remote microphone system (RMS) on the caregiver production of, and child access to, child-directed speech (CDS) in families with a young child with hearing loss was investigated. Method We drew upon extant data that were collected via Language ENvironment Analysis (LENA) recorders used with 9 families during 2 consecutive weekends (RMS weekend and no-RMS weekend). Audio recordings of primary caregivers and their children with hearing loss obtained while wearing and not wearing an RMS were manually coded to estimate the amount of CDS produced.

Remote Microphone System Use at Home: Impact on Caregiver Talk.

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of home use of a remote microphone system (RMS) on the spoken language production of caregivers with young children who have hearing loss.

Method: Language Environment Analysis recorders were used with 10 families during 2 consecutive weekends (RMS weekend and No-RMS weekend). The amount of talk from a single caregiver that could be made accessible to children with hearing loss when using an RMS was estimated using Language Environment Analysis software.

Remote Hearing Aid Support: The Next Frontier.

Background: In an effort to reduce health-care disparities, there has been a recent surge of interest in the remote provision of care. Audiologists have begun to provide screening, diagnostic, and rehabilitative services via telehealth technologies.

Purpose: To evaluate the feasibility and perceived benefits of providing remote hearing aid follow-up appointments in a controlled clinical environment and in participants' homes.

Hearing Technology Use and Management in School-Age Children: Reports from Data Logs, Parents, and Teachers.

Background: Consistency of hearing aid and remote microphone system use declines as school-age children with hearing loss age. One indicator of hearing aid use time is data logging, another is parent report. Recent data suggest that parents overestimate their children's hearing aid use time relative to data logging.

Monitoring neonates for ototoxicity.

Objectives: Neonates admitted to the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) are at greater risk of permanent hearing loss compared to infants in well mother and baby units. Several factors have been associated with this increased prevalence of hearing loss, including congenital infections (e.g.