Disability or language barrier? Attitudes towards deafness among hearing parents of children with hearing impairment

2020 ◽  
Vol 47 (1) ◽  
pp. 71-96
Author(s):  
Katarzyna Makowiecka
Keyword(s):  
Hearing Loss ◽  
Hearing Impairment ◽  
Cochlear Implants ◽  
Hearing Aids ◽  
Sociocultural Perspective ◽  
Knowledge And Beliefs ◽  
Hearing Parents ◽  
Positive Attitudes ◽  
Communication Method ◽  
Item Scale

The aim of the following article was to investigate the attitudes towards different aspects of deafness among hearing parents of children with hearing impairment. It was hypothesized that the valence of the attitude correlates with various factors, for instance: parents’ level of education, child’s age and number of other people with hearing loss known by the parents. For the purpose of this research, a 32-item scale, based on the theory of dualistic models of attitudes was created. Positive attitudes were associated with preference for sociocultural perspective on deafness, including respect for child’s preferred communication method, acceptance for sign language, perceiving people with hearing loss as able-bodied. Contrarily, negative perspective was related to the medical perspective on deafness, which includes insisting on curing deafness and treating it as a disability which requires supportive solutions e.g. hearing aids or cochlear implants. Neither of the two models appeared dominant. Further analyses were addressed to explore parents’ knowledge and beliefs about hearing impairment.

Feasibility of smartphone-based hearing-aid apps for patients with mild hearing loss: an exploratory pilot study (Preprint)

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Willy Nguyen ◽  
Miseung Koo ◽  
Seung Ha Oh ◽  
Jun Ho Lee ◽  
Moo Kyun Park
Keyword(s):  
Hearing Loss ◽  
Hearing Impairment ◽  
Hearing Aids ◽  
Clinical Performance ◽  
Hearing Aid ◽  
National Standards ◽  
Hearing In Noise ◽  
Mild Hearing Loss ◽  
Consumer Devices ◽  
Selection Of

BACKGROUND Underuse of hearing aids is caused by several factors, including the stigma associated with hearing disability, affordability, and lack of awareness of rising hearing impairment associated with the growing population. Thus, there is a significant opportunity for the development of direct-to-consumer devices. For the past few years, smartphone-based hearing-aid apps have become more numerous and diverse, but few studies have investigated them. OBJECTIVE This study aimed to elucidate the electroacoustic characteristics and potential user benefits of a selection of currently available hearing-aid apps. METHODS We investigated the apps based on hearing-aid control standards (American National Standards Institute) using measurement procedures from previous studies. We categorized the apps and excluded those we considered inefficient. We investigated a selection of user-friendly, low-end apps, EarMachine and Sound Amplifier, with warble-tone audiometry, word recognition testing in unaided and aided conditions, and hearing-in-noise test in quiet and noise-front conditions in a group of users with mild hearing impairment (n = 7) as a pilot for a future long-term investigation. Results from the apps were compared with those of a conventional hearing aid. RESULTS Five of 14 apps were considered unusable based on low scores in several metrics, while the others varied across the range of electroacoustic measurements. The apps that we considered “high end” that provided lower processing latencies and audiogram-based fitting algorithms were superior overall. The clinical performance of the listeners tended to be better when using hearing aid, while the low end hearing-aid apps had limited benefits on the users. CONCLUSIONS Some apps showed the potential to benefit users with limited cases of minimal or mild hearing loss if the inconvenience of relatively poor electroacoustic performance did not outweigh the benefits of amplification.

Plasticity of tonotopic maps in humans: influence of hearing loss, hearing aids and cochlear implants

2009 ◽  
Vol 130 (3) ◽  
pp. 333-337 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hung Thai-Van ◽  
Evelyne Veuillet ◽  
Arnaud Norena ◽  
Jeanne Guiraud ◽  
Lionel Collet
Keyword(s):  
Hearing Loss ◽  
Cochlear Implants ◽  
Hearing Aids

scholarly journals Model of development of the regional system of medical, psychological and pedagogical assistance to infants with hearing impairment

2021 ◽  
Vol 20 (1) ◽  
pp. 41-50
Author(s):  
I. V. Koroleva ◽  
◽  
G. Sh. Tufatulin ◽  
M. S. Korkunova ◽  
◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Hearing Loss ◽  
Young Children ◽  
Hearing Impairment ◽  
Hearing Aids ◽  
Comprehensive Care ◽  
Children And Parents ◽  
Parental Counseling ◽  
The Russian Federation ◽  
Family Centered ◽  
Modern Standard

The study provides an analysis of medical and psychological and pedagogical assistance to children with hearing impairment at an early age in St. Petersburg in accordance with the modern standard «1-3-6». It was found that only 19% of children with hearing impairment registered at the Audiology Center were diagnosed with hearing loss before the age of 3 months, at the age of 6 months. 5,4% of children had hearing aids. A model for the development of a system of comprehensive care for young children with hearing impairment in St. Petersburg has been developed. The model includes 5 stages, for each of which a system of organizational measures is presented, aimed at improving the effectiveness of comprehensive care using a family-centered approach. The implementation of the model made it possible to increase the proportion of children diagnosed before the age of 3 months and to reduce the average age of hearing aid in young children. Expansion of the range of services in the Audiology Center (a course of classes on adapting a child to hearing aids during primary hearing aids, group deaf pedagogical and musical classes with children and parents, a school for parents, parental counseling by a psychologist), as well as the introduction of remote forms of support contributed to an increase in the competence of parents in matters of hearing aids, development of infant with hearing loss and parental activity in the classroom with the child. Remote forms of work made it possible to continue the rehabilitation of children during the COVID-19 pandemic. The developed model for the development of comprehensive care for young children with hearing impairment and their families may be useful for other regions of the Russian Federation.

scholarly journals Association of Age-Related Hearing Loss with Cognitive Decline

2020 ◽  
Vol 63 (4) ◽  
pp. 145-153
Author(s):  
Juyong Chung
Keyword(s):  
Hearing Loss ◽  
Cognitive Decline ◽  
Cochlear Implants ◽  
Hearing Aids ◽  
Microvascular Disease ◽  
Single Mechanism ◽  
Hearing Aid Use ◽  
Age Related ◽  
Age Related Hearing Loss

A number of studies have demonstrated a significant association between age-related hearing loss (ARHL) and cognitive decline. However their relationship is not clear. In this review, we focused on the etiological mechanisms between ARHL and cognitive decline to explain the nature of this relationship: 1) causal mechanisms (e.g., cognitive load hypothesis, cascade hypothesis); 2) common cause mechanisms (e.g., microvascular disease); 3) overdiagnosis or harbinger hypothesis. We conclude that no single mechanism is sufficient and hearing and cognition related to each other in several different ways. In addition, we reviewed the effectiveness of hearing intervention (e.g., hearing aids and cochlear implants) on cognition function, and the role of hearing aid use and cochlear implant depends on the relevant mechanism.

The Acquisition of Acoustic Cues to Onset and Coda Voicing Contrasts by Preschoolers With Hearing Loss

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-18
Author(s):  
Laurence Bruggeman ◽  
Julien Millasseau ◽  
Ivan Yuen ◽  
Katherine Demuth
Keyword(s):  
Hearing Loss ◽  
Cochlear Implants ◽  
Hearing Aids ◽  
Self Esteem ◽  
Acoustic Cues ◽  
Elicited Imitation ◽  
Phonological Representations ◽  
Initial Onset ◽  
English Speaking ◽  
Children With Hearing Loss

Purpose Children with hearing loss (HL), including those with hearing aids (HAs) and cochlear implants (CIs), often have difficulties contrasting words like “ b each ” versus “ p each ” and “ do g ” versus “ do ck ” due to challenges producing systematic voicing contrasts. Even when acoustic contrasts are present, these may not be perceived as such by others. This can cause miscommunication, leading to poor self-esteem and social isolation. Acoustic evidence is therefore needed to determine if these children have established distinct voicing categories before entering school and if misperceptions are due to a lack of phonological representations or due to a still-maturing implementation system. The findings should help inform more effective early intervention. Method Participants included 14 children with HL (eight HA users, five CI users, and one bimodal) and 20 with normal hearing, all English-speaking preschoolers. In an elicited imitation task, they produced consonant–vowel–consonant minimal pair words that contrasted voicing in word-initial (onset) or word-final (coda) position at all three places of articulation (PoAs). Results Overall, children with HL showed acoustically distinct voicing categories for both onsets and codas at all three PoAs. Contrasts were less systematic for codas than for onsets, as also confirmed by adults' perceptual ratings. Conclusions Preschoolers with HL produce acoustic differences for voiced versus voiceless onsets and codas, indicating distinct phonological representations for both. Nonetheless, codas were less accurately perceived by adult raters, especially when produced by CI users. This suggests a protracted development of the phonetic implementation of codas, where CI users, in particular, may benefit from targeted intervention.

scholarly journals Primary Care Approach to Hearing Loss: The Hidden Disability

2005 ◽  
Vol 84 (1) ◽  
pp. 26-44 ◽  
Author(s):  
Seth M. Cohen ◽  
Robert F. Labadie ◽  
David S. Haynes
Keyword(s):  
Primary Care ◽  
Hearing Loss ◽  
Cochlear Implants ◽  
Hearing Aids ◽  
Primary Care Physicians ◽  
Care Center ◽  
Tertiary Care ◽  
Local Resources ◽  
Academic Center ◽  
Care Approach

We report the results of a survey designed to investigate audiologic referral patterns of primary care physicians and, more specifically, their referral of patients for hearing aids and cochlear implants. Three hundred internal medicine and family medicine physicians were identified from a referral basin of a tertiary care center and chosen randomly to be faxed questionnaires concerning their views about patients with hearing loss, hearing loss screening and referral practices, and availability of local resources. Of the 260 physicians who received a questionnaire, 85 (32.7%) responded. Of their communities (60% of which had populations of fewer than 50,000), 82.4% had an otolaryngologist and 40% had access to an academic center. Although 97.6% of the responding physicians indicated that hearing loss affected patients’ quality of life, only 60% assessed patients for hearing loss. “Lack of time” and “more pressing issues” were the most common reasons given for not evaluating patients for hearing loss. Although 76 physicians (89.4%) said they were aware of cochlear implants, only 22 (25.9%) had referred patients for implant evaluation. Lack of referral most commonly resulted from uncertainties about “where to refer” and “which patients were potential candidates.” The results of this survey suggest that a large percentage of primary care physicians do not routinely test for hearing impairment in adults.

scholarly journals Aging, Cognitive Decline and Hearing Loss: Effects of Auditory Rehabilitation and Training with Hearing Aids and Cochlear Implants on Cognitive Function and Depression among Older Adults

2016 ◽  
Vol 21 (Suppl. 1) ◽  
pp. 21-28 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alessandro Castiglione ◽  
Alice Benatti ◽  
Carmelita Velardita ◽  
Diego Favaro ◽  
Elisa Padoan ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Hearing Loss ◽  
Cognitive Decline ◽  
Cochlear Implants ◽  
Hearing Aids ◽  
Digit Span ◽  
Depression Scale ◽  
Cognitive Status ◽  
Long Term Memory ◽  
Auditory Rehabilitation

A growing interest in cognitive effects associated with speech and hearing processes is spreading throughout the scientific community essentially guided by evidence that central and peripheral hearing loss is associated with cognitive decline. For the present research, 125 participants older than 65 years of age (105 with hearing impairment and 20 with normal hearing) were enrolled, divided into 6 groups according to their degree of hearing loss and assessed to determine the effects of the treatment applied. Patients in our research program routinely undergo an extensive audiological and cognitive evaluation protocol providing results from the Digit Span test, Stroop color-word test, Montreal Cognitive Assessment and Geriatric Depression Scale, before and after rehabilitation. Data analysis was performed for a cross-sectional and longitudinal study of the outcomes for the different treatment groups. Each group demonstrated improvement after auditory rehabilitation or training on short- and long-term memory tasks, level of depression and cognitive status scores. Auditory rehabilitation by cochlear implants or hearing aids is effective also among older adults (median age of 74 years) with different degrees of hearing loss, and enables positive improvements in terms of social isolation, depression and cognitive performance.

Theory-of-Mind Development in Young Deaf Children With Early Hearing Provisions

2020 ◽  
pp. 095679762096038
Author(s):  
Chi-Lin Yu ◽  
Christopher M. Stanzione ◽  
Henry M. Wellman ◽  
Amy R. Lederberg
Keyword(s):  
Theory Of Mind ◽  
Cochlear Implants ◽  
Hearing Aids ◽  
Hard Of Hearing ◽  
Spoken Language ◽  
Deaf Children ◽  
Older Children ◽  
Language Abilities ◽  
Hearing Parents ◽  
Developmental Relationship

Deaf and hard-of-hearing (DHH) children born to hearing parents have profound theory-of-mind (ToM) delays, yet little is known about how providing hearing assistance early in life, through cochlear implants and hearing aids, influences their ToM development. We thus addressed (a) whether young DHH children with early hearing provision developed ToM differently than older children did in previous research and (b) what ToM understandings characterize this understudied population. Findings from 84 three- to six-year-old DHH children primarily acquiring spoken language demonstrated that accumulated hearing experience influenced their ToM, as measured by a five-step ToM scale. Moreover, language abilities mediated this developmental relationship: Children with more advanced language abilities, because of more time using cochlear implants and hearing aids, had better ToM growth. These findings demonstrate the crucial relationships among hearing, language, and ToM for DHH children acquiring spoken language, thereby addressing theoretical and practical questions about ToM development.

scholarly journals Can a Digital Awareness Campaign Change Knowledge and Beliefs Regarding Cochlear Implants? A Study in Older Adults in 5 European Countries

2020 ◽  
Vol 57 ◽  
pp. 004695802091056
Author(s):  
Patrick S. C. D’Haese ◽  
Vincent Van Rompaey ◽  
Marc De Bodt ◽  
Paul Van de Heyning
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Hearing Loss ◽  
Cochlear Implants ◽  
Medical Information ◽  
The Internet ◽  
Awareness Campaign ◽  
Health Crisis ◽  
Knowledge And Beliefs ◽  
The United Kingdom ◽  
The Impact

There are 466 million people living with a disabling hearing loss and the challenges of managing this public health crisis cannot be underestimated. Yet, adult utilization of cochlear implants is poor with less than 10% of suitable candidates receiving one. The aim of this study was to investigate the awareness levels regarding cochlear implants in older adults after a digital campaign to raise awareness of cochlear implantation in this population. To address the lack of awareness of the cochlear implants in the general population, adverts were placed in online medical magazines and mainstream newspapers. Data were collected in 400 subjects via an online market research questionnaire, in Germany, Austria, Sweden, and the United Kingdom, and compared with baseline data collected in a previous study. Median click rates were in line with expectations for the medical industry and approximately 22 000 individuals clicked through to the cochlear implant Web site. However, there were few significant differences between the 2 sets of data. The Internet was consulted as much as the doctor for medical information in Germany, Austria, and Sweden. The study reinforces the importance of the Internet in accessing information about health, including hearing loss. The click through rates shows that there is interest in learning about cochlear implants. Further work is needed to assess the impact of this type of campaign on individuals who have already been identified as hearing impaired.

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