Immediate and short-term reliability of distortion-product otoacoustic emissions.

This study assessed the test-retest reliability of distortion-product otoacoustic emissions (DPOAEs) at four frequencies (550, 1000, 2000 and 4000 Hz) over three time intervals. The time intervals were: (1) immediate test-retest reliability, in which the retest followed the test without any delay or repositioning of the probe tip; (2) very short-term test-retest reliability, in which the retest followed a 10-20-min break and involved removal and re-insertion of the probe tip; and (3) short-term test-retest reliability, in which the retest was conducted 5-10 days after the test. Fifty normal-hearing women were tested with a commercially available system for measuring DPOAEs (Grason-Stadler, GSI-60), which generated primary tones at 65 dB SPL (L1=L2).

Speech recognition ability of children with unilateral sensorineural hearing loss as a function of amplification, speech stimuli and listening condition.

The purpose of this investigation was to examine three types of audiological recommendations [unaided, CROS (contralateral routing of signals) and personal FM system] and their impact upon speech recognition ability of children with unilateral sensorineural hearing loss. Each of these recommendations was tested under three listening conditions encountered in a classroom [monaural direct (MD), monaural indirect (MI), midline signal/omnidirectional noise (MS/ON)] with two types of speech materials (Nonsense Syllable Test and an American English adaptation on the Bamford-Kowal-Bench Sentence Lists). These experimental conditions were simulated in a classroom, recorded on audiotape, and played back to subjects under headphones to control such factors as signal-to-noise ratio, earmold fit, and head shadow effects.

Hearing, speech, and language outcome in infants with extreme immaturity.

There appears to be an increase in the number of premature infants who survive treatment in neonatal intensive care units. Such an increase is expected to result in a greater number of children with developmental delays in a variety of dimensions, including auditory and psycholinguistic abilities. This report presents hearing and speech/language data on a sample of 266 high-risk infants.