Speech Perception and Communicative-Speech Characteristics of Hearing-Impaired Children with Late Hearing Aid Fitting

Late identification of hearing impairments in children has significant negative effect on child development, with speech and communication skills to be the most severely affected. research data indicate considerable variability in speech and communication outcomes among late-identified hearing impaired children. The aim of the current study was to examine the audiological indicators in late-identified hearing-impaired children and their correlations with the level of speech and communication development. 23 children aged 5 to 8 years with bilateral permanent sensorineural hearing loss of moderate to severe degree participated in the study. All children were fitted with binaural hearing aids after the age of 2.5 years (average age of first hearing aids fitting was 4.5 years). Hearing examination including speech audiometry and the assessment of the level of speech development and communication skills were utilized. results revealed a significant decline in performance among hearing-impaired children in all speech tests, both in quiet and noisy environments, when compared with normative data. A considerable delay in the level of speech and communicative development of hearing-impaired children compared with the normative data was revealed. The results indicate that late hearing aid fitting may cause secondary impairments of auditory function, including central auditory processing disorders, which may develop against the background of prolonged auditory deprivation. The importance of the early intervention programs and the implementation of the prompt hearing screening for young and preschool children to identify delayed hearing loss is emphasized.