Effectiveness of Noise Cancelling Earbuds in Reducing Hearing and Auditory Attention Deficits in Children with Autism.

: Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a lifelong neurodevelopmental condition characterised by impairments in social communication, sensory abnormalities, and attentional deficits. Children with ASD often face significant challenges with speech perception and auditory attention, particularly in noisy environments. This study aimed to assess the effectiveness of noise cancelling Bluetooth earbuds (Nuheara IQbuds Boost) in improving speech perception and auditory attention in children with ASD.

Consumer Perspectives for a Future Mobile App to Document Real-World Listening Difficulties: Qualitative Study.

Background: By enabling individuals with hearing loss to collect their own hearing data in their personal real-world settings, there is scope to improve clinical care, empower consumers, and support shared clinical decision-making and problem-solving. Clinician support for this approach has been established in a separate study.

Objective: This study aims to explore, for consumers with hearing loss, their (1) experiences of listening difficulties, to identify the data an app could usefully collect; (2) preferences regarding the features of mobile apps in general; and (3) opinions on the potential value and desirable features of a yet-to-be designed app for documenting listening difficulties in real-world settings.

Adults' recollections of discussions with their audiologist: a qualitative study of what was and was not successfully communicated about listening difficulties.

Objectives: Some adults experience challenges in successfully communicating their listening difficulties to their audiologist, and report feeling that they are not always listened to or understood. This project examined adults' recollections of discussions with their audiologist to explore (1) how adults report describing their listening difficulties and (2) information that adults report they do not communicate, or do not communicate successfully, to their audiologist.

Design: Individual semi-structured interviews were conducted.

Tone-burst elicited auditory brainstem responses in full-term and pre-term infants.

Objective: To investigate the reliability of tone-burst auditory brainstem response (TB-ABR) latencies and thresholds in pre-term and full-term infants.

Design: TB-ABRs to 500 Hz and 4000 Hz tone-burst stimuli were recorded at two-week intervals over the first six weeks of life in a group of full-term infants (40-46 weeks gestational age [GA]) and over ten weeks (36-46 weeks gestation) in a group of preterm infants. Linear mixed model analyses evaluated within-subject changes and the effects of the subject group, age at assessment, and stimulus frequency on ABR latency and threshold.

Remediation of Perceptual Deficits in Progressive Auditory Neuropathy: A Case Study.

Background: Auditory neuropathy (AN) is a hearing disorder that affects neural activity in the VIIIth cranial nerve and central auditory pathways. Progressive forms have been reported in a number of neurodegenerative diseases and may occur as a result of both the deafferentiation and desynchronisation of neuronal processes. The purpose of this study was to describe changes in auditory function over time in a patient with axonal neuropathy and to explore the effect of auditory intervention.

The reliability of remote diagnostic hearing assessment in school-entry-aged children.

Objective: To explore the feasibility of remote diagnostic hearing testing within schools, for school-entry aged children (4-7 years).

Design: A prospective cross-sectional comparative study design was used to establish the reliability of remote hearing assessment by comparing traditional face-to-face pure tone audiometry (PTA) with remote PTA, traditional otoscopy with remote video otoscopy and interpretation of tympanograms in-person with remote analysis.

Study Sample: 464 school-entry year level children from 18 schools.

Family-Perceived Barriers and Facilitators Toward a Tele-Audiology Infant Diagnostic Testing Approach in Victoria, Australia.

Universal newborn hearing screening programs allow for early identification of congenital hearing loss. However, some families experience difficulties accessing diagnostic audiology services following a refer screen result. This study aimed to assess the opinions of families who had experienced infant diagnostic audiology assessments regarding a telehealth option for these appointments within Victoria, Australia.

E-Learning Simulations for Teaching Clinical Decision-Making in an Audiology Training Program.

Purpose: Clinical decision-making is an essential component of most clinical processes across the health sector and an ongoing challenge for clinical education programs to teach to students. The traditional methods of teaching these skills outside of lectures are mainly through clinical placements and problem-based learning (PBL) sessions, but availability and consistency can be variable and resource heavy. To address these challenges, an e-simulation module specific to pediatric infant diagnostic testing has been developed and implemented into the teaching program.

A scoping review exploring how adults self-describe and communicate about the listening difficulties they experience.

: It is unknown how adults communicate about their experienced listening difficulties with their audiologist. This scoping review aims to explore how adults self-describe the listening difficulties that they experience, and how they communicate about them. : A scoping review was conducted between December 2020 and September 2022 to identify published journal articles in which adults described and communicated about their listening difficulties.

The effect of classroom environment on literacy development.

The physical characteristics of a child's learning environment can affect health, wellbeing and educational progress. Here we investigate the effect of classroom setting on academic progress in 7-10-year-old students comparing reading development in "open-plan" (multiple class groups located within one physical space) and "enclosed-plan" (one class group per space) environments. All learning conditions (class group, teaching personnel, etc.

The Assistive Benefits of Remote Microphone Technology for Normal Hearing Children With Listening Difficulties.

Objectives: Children often present with listening difficulties (LiD) but with normal sound detection thresholds. These children are susceptible to learning challenges, and struggle with the suboptimal acoustics of standard classrooms. Remote microphone technology (RMT) is one way to improve the listening environment.

Designing a Hearing Health Care Smartphone App With Ecological Momentary Assessment: A Qualitative Study of Audiologists' Perspectives.

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to explore the perspectives of audiologists to provide input into development of a smartphone application (app) to document the real-life listening difficulties and the listening environment of hearing aid candidates and users.

Method: Two focus groups were conducted. Facilitators utilized a topic guide to generate participants' input and perspectives.

Effects of widespread community use of face masks on communication, participation, and quality of life in Australia during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The objective was to document the influence of face mask use by other people on communication experiences, participation in activities, and quality of life. Australian adults (n = 665) completed an online survey; 90.8% resided in a state with mandatory mask use outside the home and 44.

Hearing Aid Uptake, Benefit, and Use: The Impact of Hearing, Cognition, and Personal Factors.

Purpose The purpose of this study was to explore the effects of hearing, cognition, and personal factors on hearing aid (HA) uptake, use, and benefit. Method Eighty-five older adults aged 60-80 years ( = 70.23, = 5.

The Relations Between Auditory Processing Scores and Cognitive, Listening and Reading Abilities.

Objectives: To investigate associations between auditory processing abilities, cognitive abilities, listening ability, and reading ability in children.

Design: This was a cross-sectional study involving 155 children (105 referred for auditory processing assessment and 50 with no reported listening concerns) aged between 7 and 13 years. Each child was assessed on auditory processing tests, cognitive tests, and a reading test.

Long-term effect of middle ear disease on temporal processing and P300 in two different populations of children.

Background/objective: The effects of otitis media on the function of the central auditory nervous system in different populations is unknown. Understanding how the history of otitis media affects children from different nations will guide health professionals worldwide on the importance of adequate auditory stimulus in childhood. For this reason, the aim of the present study was to investigate the long-term auditory effects of middle ear disease on temporal processing and P300 in two different populations of children: Australian and Brazilian.

The relationship between peripheral hearing loss and higher order listening function on cognition in older Australians.

Peripheral hearing, central auditory processing (CAP) and cognition are all important for comprehension of speech and deteriorate with increased age. This study aimed to examine the relation between hearing impairment and cognitive impairment by assessing both peripheral hearing impairment and CAP ability. Cognition was measured using the CogState Brief Battery (CSBB).

Peripheral and central hearing impairment and their relationship with cognition: a review.

To consider the relationships between both peripheral and central hearing impairment and cognition. Narrative review. Numerous studies exploring the relationship between hearing impairment and cognitive function, particularly in an older population.

Efficacy of a deficit specific auditory training program for remediation of temporal patterning deficits.

To determine the efficacy of a targeted auditory training programme as a remediation approach for children diagnosed with a temporal patterning disorder. Temporal Patterning scores were determined at two-time points pre-intervention and again post-training. Measures were then repeated in half of the participants after a further non-training period to determine the sustainability of effects.

Remediation of spatial processing disorder (SPD).

Objective: To determine the efficacy of deficit-specific remediation for spatial processing disorder, quantify effects of remediation on functional listening, and determine if remediation is maintained.

Design: Participants had SPD, diagnosed using the Listening in Spatialised Noise-Sentences test. The LiSN and Learn software was provided as auditory training.

Maturation of the Central Auditory Nervous System in Children with Auditory Processing Disorder.

Neurodevelopmental delay has been proposed as the underlying cause of the majority of cases of auditory processing disorder (APD). The current study employs the cortical auditory evoked potential (CAEP) to assess if maturational differences of the central auditory nervous system (CANS) can be identified between children who do and do not meet the diagnostic criterion for APD. The P1-N1 complex of the CAEP has previously been used for tracking development of the CANS in children with hearing impairment.

The Impact of Auditory Processing and Cognitive Abilities in Children.

Objectives: To examine the links between auditory processing (AP) test results, functional deficits, and cognitive abilities.

Design: One hundred and fifty-five children, ages 7-12 years, comprising 50 control children and 105 children referred for AP assessment, all with normal peripheral hearing, completed an AP and cognitive (sustained attention, auditory working memory, and nonverbal intelligence) test battery. Functional outcome measures of listening ability (developed using questionnaires from parent, teacher, and child respondents) and reading fluency were also collected.

Allowing for asymmetric distributions when comparing auditory processing test percentage scores with normative data.

Background: Raw percentage scores can be transformed to age-specific Z scores, despite the asymmetric distribution of normative data using a process that is applicable to any percentage (or proportion)-based result.

Purpose: Normative values are generated for the commonly used dichotic digit and frequency pattern behavioral tests of auditory processing.

Study Sample: A total of 180 normal-hearing children aged 7 yr 0 mo to 12 yr 2 mo took part in this study.

Long-term hearing deficits after childhood middle ear disease.

Objectives: To investigate the long-term impact of childhood otitis media on listening ability in school-aged children.

Design: Speech perception in background noise was measured in two groups of 35 children, aged 6 to 12 years, with normal middle ear function and sound detection at assessment. The first consisted of children who had previously suffered middle ear disease; the second those with no history of middle ear disease.