Short-Term Pediatric Acclimatization to Adaptive Hearing Aid Technology

Purpose: This pilot study assessed the perceptual, cognitive and academic learning effects of an adaptive integrated directionality and noise reduction hearing aid program in pediatric users. Methods: Fifteen pediatric hearing aid users (6 to 12 years old) participated in a hearing aid pilot with pre- to post-comparisons. Participants received new bilateral, individually fitted Oticon OPN hearing aids programmed with OpenSound Navigator (OSN) processing. Word recognition in noise, sentence repetition in quiet, nonword repetition, vocabulary learning, selective attention, executive function, memory, reading and mathematical abilities were measured within one week of the initial hearing aid fitting and two months post-fit. Caregivers completed questionnaires assessing their child's listening and communication abilities prior to study enrollment and after two months of using the study hearing aids. Results: Caregiver reporting indicated significant improvements in speech and sound perception, spatial sound awareness and the ability to participate in conversations. However, there was no positive change in performance in any of the measured skills. Mathematical scores significantly declined after two months. Conclusions: OSN provided a perceived improvement in functional benefit, compared to their previous hearing aids, as reported by caregivers. However, there was no positive change in listening skills, cognition and academic success after two months of using OSN. Findings may have been impacted by reporter bias, limited sample size and a relatively short trial period. This study took place during the summer when participants were out of school which may have influenced the decline in mathematical scores. The results support further exploration with age and audiogram-matched controls, larger sample sizes, and longer test-retest intervals that correspond to the academic school year.