Protocol for Rapid, Accurate, Electrophysiologic, Auditory Assessment of Infants and Toddlers.

Background: Audiologists often lack confidence in results produced by current protocols for diagnostic electrophysiologic testing of infants. This leads to repeat testing appointments and slow protocols which extend the time needed to complete the testing and consequently delay fitting of amplification. A recent publication (Sininger et al50) has shown how new technologies can be applied to electrophysiologic testing systems to improve confidence in results and allow faster test protocols.

Evaluation of Speed and Accuracy of Next-Generation Auditory Steady State Response and Auditory Brainstem Response Audiometry in Children With Normal Hearing and Hearing Loss.

Objectives: The first objective of this study was to compare the predicted audiometric thresholds obtained by auditory steady state response (ASSR) and auditory brainstem response (ABR) in infants and toddlers when both techniques use optimal stimuli and detection algorithms. This information will aid in determining the basis for large discrepancies in ABR and ASSR measures found in past studies. The hypothesis was that advancements in ASSR response detection would improve (lower) thresholds and decrease discrepancies between the thresholds produced by the two techniques.

Is "no response" on diagnostic auditory brainstem response testing an indication for cochlear implantation in children?

Objectives: To compare the results of a "no response" (NR) result on auditory brainstem response (ABR) testing with those of behavioral pure-tone audiometry and ultimate clinical tracking to cochlear implantation (CI).

Design: Retrospective review of pediatric patients who underwent multifrequency ABR testing in a 5 year span. Total of 1143 pediatric patients underwent ABR testing during the study period and 105 (9.

Effects of nonlinear frequency compression on speech identification in children with hearing loss.

Objectives: This study evaluated effects of nonlinear frequency compression (NLFC) processing in children with hearing loss for consonant identification in quiet and for spondee identification in competing noise or speech. It was predicted that participants would benefit from NLFC for consonant identification in quiet when access to high-frequency information was critical, but that NLFC would be less beneficial, or even detrimental, when identification relied on mid-frequency cues. Further, it was hypothesized that NLFC could result in greater susceptibility to masking in the spondee task.

Characteristics of hearing aid fittings in infants and young children.

Objectives: Hearing aids (HAs) provide the basis for improving audibility and minimizing developmental delays in children with mild to severe hearing loss. Multiple guidelines exist to recommend methods for optimizing amplification in children, but few previous studies have reported HA fitting outcomes for a large group of children. The present study sought to evaluate the proximity of the fitting to prescriptive targets and aided audibility of speech, as well as survey data from pediatric audiologists who provided HAs for the children in the present study.

Influence of hearing loss on children's identification of spondee words in a speech-shaped noise or a two-talker masker.

Objective: This study evaluated the influence of hearing loss on children's speech-perception abilities in a speech-shaped noise or a two-talker masker. For both masker conditions, it was predicted that children with hearing loss would require a more advantageous signal to noise ratio (SNR) than children with normal hearing to achieve the same criterion level of performance. However, it was hypothesized that the performance gap between children with hearing loss and children with normal hearing would be larger in the two-talker than in the speech-shaped noise masker.

Effects of frequency compression hearing aids for unilaterally implanted children with acoustically amplified residual hearing in the nonimplanted ear.

Objectives: The primary objective of this study is to evaluate the benefits of nonlinear frequency compression (NLFC) hearing aids in the nonimplanted ears of children with unilateral cochlear implants (CIs). It is hypothesized that speech perception performance will benefit from complementary auditory cues provided by the CI and the hearing aid, particularly with the increased access to high-frequency sounds provided by NLFC.

Design: Eleven children using unilateral CIs with usable residual hearing in the nonimplanted ears were enrolled in the study and fitted with NLFC hearing aids.

Effects of age and hearing impairment on the ability to benefit from temporal and spectral modulation.

Objectives: At poor signal-to-noise ratios, speech understanding may depend on the ability to combine speech fragments that are distributed across time and frequency. The goal of this study was to determine the effects of development and hearing impairment on this ability.

Design: Listeners in the present study included adults and children with normal hearing and with hearing impairment.

Cochlear implantation in children with labyrinthine anomalies and cochlear nerve deficiency: implications for auditory brainstem implantation.

Objectives/hypothesis: Compare outcomes among children with inner ear malformations and/or cochlear nerve deficiency (CND) who have received a cochlear implant (CI).

Study Design: Individual retrospective cohort study from 1993 to 2010.

Methods: A select cohort of 76 children was identified.

Cochlear implantation in children with auditory neuropathy spectrum disorder.

Objective: To report the patient's characteristics, preoperative audiological profiles, surgical outcomes, and postoperative performance for children with auditory neuropathy spectrum disorder (ANSD) who ultimately received cochlear implants (CIs).

Design: Prospective, longitudinal study of children with ANSD who received CIs after a stepwise management protocol that included electrophysiologic and medical assessment, documentation of behavioral audiometric thresholds and subsequent fitting of amplification according to Desired Sensation Level targets, auditory-based intervention with careful monitoring of skills development and communication milestones, and finally implantation when progress with the use of acoustic amplification was insufficient.

Results: Of 140 children with ANSD, 52 (37%) received CIs in their affected ears (mean duration of use of 41 mos).

Internal auditory canal morphology in children with cochlear nerve deficiency.

Objective: To describe the internal auditory canal (IAC) and inner ear morphologic characteristics of children with cochlear nerve (CN) deficiency.

Study Design: Retrospective case series.

Setting: Tertiary referral center.

Auditory neuropathy characteristics in children with cochlear nerve deficiency.

Objective: To describe a group of children exhibiting electrophysiologic responses characteristic of auditory neuropathy (AN) who were subsequently identified as having absent or small cochlear nerves (i.e., cochlear nerve deficiency).