Early Diagnosis of Cerebello-Pontine Angle Tumors by Directional Hearing Test.

Mondini-like dysplasia is a rare congenital inner ear malformation (IEM) and the most common anomaly associated with recurrent bacterial meningitis in children. Early diagnosis of Mondinilike dysplasia is crucial for preventing recurrent bacterial meningitis. We report a case of a 15-year-old girl with unrecognized Mondini-like dysplasia that was early diagnosed in the Emergency Department at the first episode of bacterial meningitis. Assessing hearing function in children who have their first episode of meningitis is crucial. Abnormal hearing test results are critical diagnostic findings that help to suspect an IEM. In addition, high-resolution computed tomography of the temporal bones is an excellent diagnostic tool for IEM.

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DIFFERENTIAL DIAGNOSIS BY THE DIRECTIONAL HEARING TEST AND THE DISTORTED SPEECH TEST

Nippon Jibiinkoka Gakkai Kaiho ◽

10.3950/jibiinkoka.69.3sup_51 ◽

1966 ◽

Vol 69 (3sup) ◽

pp. 51-69

Author(s):

TETSUYA SHITARA

Keyword(s):

Differential Diagnosis ◽

Directional Hearing ◽

Speech Test ◽

Hearing Test

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Hearing Aid Amplification Reduces Communication Effort of People With Hearing Impairment and Their Conversation Partners

Journal of Speech Language and Hearing Research ◽

10.1044/2020_jslhr-19-00350 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 63 (4) ◽

pp. 1299-1311 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Timothy Beechey ◽

Jörg M. Buchholz ◽

Gitte Keidser

Keyword(s):

Hearing Impairment ◽

Hearing Aid ◽

Normal Hearing ◽

Referential Communication ◽

Hearing Impaired ◽

Directional Hearing ◽

Acoustic Environment ◽

Communication Task ◽

Acoustic Environments ◽

The Impact

Objectives This study investigates the hypothesis that hearing aid amplification reduces effort within conversation for both hearing aid wearers and their communication partners. Levels of effort, in the form of speech production modifications, required to maintain successful spoken communication in a range of acoustic environments are compared to earlier reported results measured in unaided conversation conditions. Design Fifteen young adult normal-hearing participants and 15 older adult hearing-impaired participants were tested in pairs. Each pair consisted of one young normal-hearing participant and one older hearing-impaired participant. Hearing-impaired participants received directional hearing aid amplification, according to their audiogram, via a master hearing aid with gain provided according to the NAL-NL2 fitting formula. Pairs of participants were required to take part in naturalistic conversations through the use of a referential communication task. Each pair took part in five conversations, each of 5-min duration. During each conversation, participants were exposed to one of five different realistic acoustic environments presented through highly open headphones. The ordering of acoustic environments across experimental blocks was pseudorandomized. Resulting recordings of conversational speech were analyzed to determine the magnitude of speech modifications, in terms of vocal level and spectrum, produced by normal-hearing talkers as a function of both acoustic environment and the degree of high-frequency average hearing impairment of their conversation partner. Results The magnitude of spectral modifications of speech produced by normal-hearing talkers during conversations with aided hearing-impaired interlocutors was smaller than the speech modifications observed during conversations between the same pairs of participants in the absence of hearing aid amplification. Conclusions The provision of hearing aid amplification reduces the effort required to maintain communication in adverse conditions. This reduction in effort provides benefit to hearing-impaired individuals and also to the conversation partners of hearing-impaired individuals. By considering the impact of amplification on both sides of dyadic conversations, this approach contributes to an increased understanding of the likely impact of hearing impairment on everyday communication.

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Red Flags: Barriers to Listening and Spoken Language in Children with Hearing Loss

Perspectives on Hearing and Hearing Disorders in Childhood ◽

10.1044/hhdc24.1.11 ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 24 (1) ◽

pp. 11-18

Author(s):

Andrea Bell ◽

K. Todd Houston

Keyword(s):

Hearing Loss ◽

Early Diagnosis ◽

Skill Acquisition ◽

Dynamic Process ◽

Spoken Language ◽

Red Flags ◽

Careful Monitoring ◽

Auditory Development ◽

Children With Hearing Loss ◽

Family Centered

To ensure optimal auditory development for the acquisition of spoken language, children with hearing loss require early diagnosis, effective ongoing audiological management, well fit and maintained hearing technology, and appropriate family-centered early intervention. When these elements are in place, children with hearing loss can achieve developmental and communicative outcomes that are comparable to their hearing peers. However, for these outcomes to occur, clinicians—early interventionists, speech-language pathologists, and pediatric audiologists—must participate in a dynamic process that requires careful monitoring of countless variables that could impact the child's skill acquisition. This paper addresses some of these variables or “red flags,” which often are indicators of both minor and major issues that clinicians may encounter when delivering services to young children with hearing loss and their families.

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