Development and Validation of a Brief Version of the Vanderbilt Fatigue Scale for Adults: The VFS-A-10.

Objectives: Listening-related fatigue can be a significant problem for adults who struggle to hear and understand, particularly adults with hearing loss. However, valid, sensitive, and clinically useful measures for listening-related fatigue do not currently exist. The purpose of this study was to develop and validate a brief clinical tool for measuring listening-related fatigue in adults.

Development and Evaluation of Pediatric Versions of the Vanderbilt Fatigue Scale for Children With Hearing Loss.

Purpose: Growing evidence suggests that fatigue associated with listening difficulties is particularly problematic for children with hearing loss (CHL). However, sensitive, reliable, and valid measures of listening-related fatigue do not exist. To address this gap, this article describes the development, psychometric evaluation, and preliminary validation of a suite of scales designed to assess listening-related fatigue in CHL: the pediatric versions of the Vanderbilt Fatigue Scale (VFS-Peds).

Chicken liver morphology as affected by feed withdrawal time and dietary aflatoxins.

1. An investigation was conducted on the effects of aflatoxin (AFL)-contaminated diets and feed withdrawal periods from 0 to 12 h in broiler chickens at 28 d of age. Both factors can potentially affect liver colour and can cause failure at veterinary inspection in the slaughterhouse.

The Impact and Management of Listening-Related Fatigue in Children with Hearing Loss.

There is mounting evidence to support the premise that children with hearing loss (CHL) are at increased risk for listening-related fatigue and its associated sequelae. This article provides an overview of the construct of listening-related fatigue in CHL, its importance, possible academic and psychosocial consequences, and recommendations for the identification and management of fatigue associated with pediatric hearing loss.

Listening-Related Fatigue in Children With Hearing Loss: Perspectives of Children, Parents, and School Professionals.

Purpose: Children with hearing loss (CHL) are considered at risk for listening-related fatigue and its negative consequences. We collected data via focus groups and interviews from three stakeholder groups-CHL, their parents, and teachers/school professionals-in order to define the construct of listening-related fatigue from the perspective of CHL and key stakeholders. This is an important first step in our long-term goal to construct and validate a measure (i.

Perceived Listening Difficulty in the Classroom, Not Measured Noise Levels, Is Associated With Fatigue in Children With and Without Hearing Loss.

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to examine if classroom noise levels and perceived listening difficulty were related to fatigue reported by children with and without hearing loss.

Method: Measures of classroom noise and reports of classroom listening difficulty were obtained from 79 children (ages 6-12 years) at two time points on two different school days. Forty-four children had mild to moderately severe hearing loss in at least one ear.

Development and validation of the Vanderbilt Fatigue Scale for Adults (VFS-A).

Listening-related fatigue can be a significant burden for adults with hearing loss (AHL), and potentially those with other health or language-related issues (e.g., multiple sclerosis, traumatic brain injury, second language learners) who must allocate substantial cognitive resources to the process of listening.

Can listening-related fatigue influence well-being? Examining associations between hearing loss, fatigue, activity levels and well-being.

Objective: Well-being is influenced by the activities we undertake. Hearing loss may reduce well-being directly through increased listening-related fatigue due to cognitive and emotional strain in challenging situations. Hearing loss and hearing device use may also indirectly impact fatigue and well-being by altering the frequency and type of daily-life activities.

Understanding Listening-Related Fatigue: Perspectives of Adults with Hearing Loss.

Objective: Adults with hearing loss (AHL) often report feeling fatigued after being in situations that require prolonged listening, an experience referred to as listening-related fatigue. We conducted focus groups to identify key domains and constructs of listening-related fatigue. Our goal was to create a theoretical framework for understanding listening-related fatigue that could guide the development of a reliable and valid assessment tool.

Listening-Related Fatigue in Children With Unilateral Hearing Loss.

Purpose Listening-related fatigue is an understudied construct that may contribute to the auditory, educational, and psychosocial problems experienced by children with unilateral hearing loss (UHL). Herein, we present an overview of listening-related fatigue in school-age children with hearing loss (CHL), with a focus on children with UHL. Method Following a review of research examining listening-related fatigue in adults and CHL, we present preliminary findings exploring the effects of unilateral and bilateral hearing loss on listening-related fatigue in children.

Diurnal Cortisol Levels and Subjective Ratings of Effort and Fatigue in Adult Cochlear Implant Users: A Pilot Study.

Purpose There is a growing body of literature that suggests a linkage between impaired auditory function, increased listening effort, and fatigue in children and adults with hearing loss. Research suggests this linkage may be associated with hearing loss-related variations in diurnal cortisol levels. Here, we examine variations in cortisol profiles between young adults with and without severe sensorineural hearing loss and examine associations between cortisol and subjective measures of listening effort and fatigue.

Behavioral Measures of Listening Effort in School-Age Children: Examining the Effects of Signal-to-Noise Ratio, Hearing Loss, and Amplification.

Objectives: Increased listening effort in school-age children with hearing loss (CHL) could compromise learning and academic achievement. Identifying a sensitive behavioral measure of listening effort for this group could have both clinical and research value. This study examined the effects of signal-to-noise ratio (SNR), hearing loss, and personal amplification on 2 commonly used behavioral measures of listening effort: dual-task visual response times (visual RTs) and verbal response times (verbal RTs).

Fatigue Related to Speech Processing in Children With Hearing Loss: Behavioral, Subjective, and Electrophysiological Measures.

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to examine fatigue associated with sustained and effortful speech-processing in children with mild to moderately severe hearing loss.

Method: We used auditory P300 responses, subjective reports, and behavioral indices (response time, lapses of attention) to measure fatigue resulting from sustained speech-processing demands in 34 children with mild to moderately severe hearing loss (M = 10.03 years, SD = 1.

Subjective Fatigue in Children With Hearing Loss Assessed Using Self- and Parent-Proxy Report.

Purpose: The primary purposes of this study were to examine the effects of hearing loss and respondent type (self- vs. parent-proxy report) on subjective fatigue in children. We also examined associations between child-specific factors and fatigue ratings.

Speech-Processing Fatigue in Children: Auditory Event-Related Potential and Behavioral Measures.

Purpose: Fatigue related to speech processing is an understudied area that may have significant negative effects, especially in children who spend the majority of their school days listening to classroom instruction.

Method: This study examined the feasibility of using auditory P300 responses and behavioral indices (lapses of attention and self-report) to measure fatigue resulting from sustained listening demands in 27 children (M = 9.28 years).

A Taxonomy of Fatigue Concepts and Their Relation to Hearing Loss.

Fatigue is common in individuals with a variety of chronic health conditions and can have significant negative effects on quality of life. Although limited in scope, recent work suggests persons with hearing loss may be at increased risk for fatigue, in part due to effortful listening that is exacerbated by their hearing impairment. However, the mechanisms responsible for hearing loss-related fatigue, and the efficacy of audiologic interventions for reducing fatigue, remain unclear.

Salivary Cortisol Profiles of Children with Hearing Loss.

Objectives: It has long been speculated that effortful listening places children with hearing loss at risk for fatigue. School-age children with hearing loss experiencing cumulative stress and listening fatigue on a daily basis might undergo dysregulation of hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis activity resulting in elevated or flattened cortisol profiles. The purpose of this study was to examine whether school-age children with hearing loss show different diurnal salivary cortisol patterns than children with normal hearing.

Factors Influencing Hearing Aid Use in the Classroom: A Pilot Study.

Purpose: This pilot study examined factors influencing classroom hearing aid use in school-age children with hearing loss.

Method: The research team visited classrooms of 38 children with mild-to-moderate hearing loss (Grades 1-7) on 2 typical school days, twice per day, to document hearing aid use. In addition, parents reported the number of hours their children used hearing aids at school.

Presence of Octopamine and an Octopamine Receptor in .

Octopamine is a biogenic amine first identified in octopus. It has been well studied in arthropods and a few gastropods, serving as a neurotransmitter and hormone. The presence of octopamine has rarely been reported in bivalves and has not been reported in We utilized HPLC to identify and measure octopamine in cerebral ganglia, visceral ganglia, gill, palps, mantle, heart and hemolymph of Endogenous octopamine levels increased when animals were treated with tyramine, an octopamine precursor.

Commentary: listening can be exhausting--fatigue in children and adults with hearing loss.

Anecdotal reports of fatigue after sustained speech-processing demands are common among adults with hearing loss; however, systematic research examining hearing loss-related fatigue is limited, particularly with regard to fatigue among children with hearing loss (CHL). Many audiologists, educators, and parents have long suspected that CHL experience stress and fatigue as a result of the difficult listening demands they encounter throughout the day at school. Recent research in this area provides support for these intuitive suggestions.

Accuracy of school screenings in the identification of minimal sensorineural hearing loss.

Purpose: The goal of this study was to investigate how the use of a 25 dB HL referral criterion in school screenings affects the identification of hearing loss categorized as minimal sensorineural hearing loss (MSHL).

Method: A retrospective study applied screening levels of 20 and 25 dB HL at 1000, 2000, and 4000 Hz in each ear to previously obtained pure-tone thresholds for 1,475 school-age children. In a separate prospective study, 1,704 children were screened at school under typical conditions, and a subsample had complete audiological evaluations.

Developmental outcomes in early school-age children with minimal hearing loss.

Purpose: Previous research suggests that school-age children with minimal hearing loss (CMHL) are at risk for a variety of psychoeducational problems. However, CMHL are a heterogeneous group, and the profile of at-risk children is unknown. Data regarding the characteristics of early school-age CMHL are needed to extend previous findings and determine potential risk factors associated with psychoeducational difficulties.

Subjective fatigue in children with hearing loss: some preliminary findings.

Purpose: In this study, the authors examined the effect of hearing loss on subjective reports of fatigue in school-age children using a standardized measure.

Methods: As part of a larger ongoing study, the authors obtained subjective ratings of fatigue using the Pediatric Quality of Life Inventory (PedsQL) Multidimensional Fatigue Scale ( Varni, Burwinkle, Katz, Meeske, & Dickinson, 2002). This standardized scale provides a measure of general fatigue, sleep/rest fatigue, cognitive fatigue, and an overall composite measure of fatigue.

Auditory characteristics of children with autism.

Objectives: The objectives of this study were (1) to describe the auditory characteristics of children with autism relative to those of typically developing children and (2) to describe the test-retest reliability of behavioral auditory test measures with this population of children with autism.

Design: Audiometric data were obtained from 22 children diagnosed with autism and 22 of their typically developing peers. The audiologic test battery consisted of behavioral measures (i.

Survey of hearing aid fitting practices for children with multiple impairments.

The fitting of amplification on young children with multiple impairments in addition to hearing loss is a challenge faced regularly by audiologists. However, very little has been published on this topic in the audiological literature. The purpose of this survey was to document hearing aid fitting practices for this population within the United States.