Screening Tests Reveal High Risk Among Adjudicated Adolescents of Auditory Processing and Language Disorders

Purpose

The study investigated the prevalence of risk factors for auditory processing and language disorders among adolescents residing at a local juvenile detention center.

Method

A total of 782 adjudicated adolescents with normal hearing were screened with the Randomized Dichotic Digits Test (Strouse & Wilson, 1999) and the Dichotic Words Test (Moncrieff, 2015). A subset of 420 of those adolescents was also screened with the Clinical Evaluation of Language Fundamentals (CELF; Semel, Wiig, & Secord, 2003).

Results

More than 70% of the adolescents produced weakness on at least 1 dichotic listening test. One third of those produced weakness across both dichotic listening tests, consistent with a binaural integration deficit pattern. Nearly 48% of the subgroup of adolescents produced CELF scores that fell below the criterion for age. Dichotic listening and language scores were more associated in participants with poor performance in both ears during dichotic tests, who also produced the lowest scores on the CELF. There was no main effect of race, but 17- and 18-year-old Black adolescents produced lower CELF scores than White adolescents of the same age.

Conclusions

School-age children referred for disciplinary action may have undiagnosed deficits in auditory processing and/or language. Efforts to screen, diagnose, and remediate these deficits could lead to improvements in communication, learning, and language skills in this population.

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Screening Tests Reveal High Risk Among Adjudicated Adolescents of Auditory Processing and Language Disorders

Purpose

The study investigated the prevalence of risk factors for auditory processing and language disorders among adolescents residing at a local juvenile detention center.

Method

A total of 782 adjudicated adolescents with normal hearing were screened with the Randomized Dichotic Digits Test (Strouse & Wilson, 1999) and the Dichotic Words Test (Moncrieff, 2015). A subset of 420 of those adolescents was also screened with the Clinical Evaluation of Language Fundamentals (CELF; Semel, Wiig, & Secord, 2003).

Results

More than 70% of the adolescents produced weakness on at least 1 dichotic listening test. One third of those produced weakness across both dichotic listening tests, consistent with a binaural integration deficit pattern. Nearly 48% of the subgroup of adolescents produced CELF scores that fell below the criterion for age. Dichotic listening and language scores were more associated in participants with poor performance in both ears during dichotic tests, who also produced the lowest scores on the CELF. There was no main effect of race, but 17- and 18-year-old Black adolescents produced lower CELF scores than White adolescents of the same age.

Conclusions

School-age children referred for disciplinary action may have undiagnosed deficits in auditory processing and/or language. Efforts to screen, diagnose, and remediate these deficits could lead to improvements in communication, learning, and language skills in this population.

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Screening Tests Reveal High Risk Among Adjudicated Adolescents of Auditory Processing and Language Disorders

Purpose

The study investigated the prevalence of risk factors for auditory processing and language disorders among adolescents residing at a local juvenile detention center.

Method

A total of 782 adjudicated adolescents with normal hearing were screened with the Randomized Dichotic Digits Test (Strouse & Wilson, 1999) and the Dichotic Words Test (Moncrieff, 2015). A subset of 420 of those adolescents was also screened with the Clinical Evaluation of Language Fundamentals (CELF; Semel, Wiig, & Secord, 2003).

Results

More than 70% of the adolescents produced weakness on at least 1 dichotic listening test. One third of those produced weakness across both dichotic listening tests, consistent with a binaural integration deficit pattern. Nearly 48% of the subgroup of adolescents produced CELF scores that fell below the criterion for age. Dichotic listening and language scores were more associated in participants with poor performance in both ears during dichotic tests, who also produced the lowest scores on the CELF. There was no main effect of race, but 17- and 18-year-old Black adolescents produced lower CELF scores than White adolescents of the same age.

Conclusions

School-age children referred for disciplinary action may have undiagnosed deficits in auditory processing and/or language. Efforts to screen, diagnose, and remediate these deficits could lead to improvements in communication, learning, and language skills in this population.

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Phonak Adds to Its Hearing Aid and Speech Understanding Technologies

​Phonak has introduced two lithium-ion rechargeable hearing aids geared to the needs of specific patient populations—those with severe to profound hearing loss and children. Now in its fifth generation, Phonak’s Naída B, for the first time, offers a rechargeable receiver-in-canal option. Naída B provides the industry’s best speech intelligibility index results for those with severe to profound hearing loss, according to the company. Phonak has also added a rechargeable option to its Sky B products, which are designed specifically for children. Sky B-PR gives pediatric patients a full day of uninterrupted hearing on a single charge. Sky B features AutoSense Sky OS and SoundRecover2, which gives children access to a broader range of sounds essential for speech and language development.
 
The company has also launched its new MultiBeam Technology (MBT), the next generation of the Roger 2.4 GHz wireless technology first introduced in 2013. MBT uses three microphones to form six directional beams within 360 degrees. When a microphone with MBT is placed on a table, it automatically selects the speaker to improve speech understanding in group conversations and noisy situations. Powered by MBT are Phonak’s Roger Select, which is equipped with three modes (automatic, manual, lapel) to enable wireless hearing in different environments, and Roger Table Mic II, which is ideal for working adults who need to actively participate in meetings. Phonak has also added the Roger Repeater, which extends the operating range of any Roger network in the Roger for Education portfolio and is ideal for school applications like auditoriums and gymnasiums.
 
The Phonak Naída B and Sky B are now available in the United States, with the rest of the world to follow this month. All new Roger products will be available later in spring 2018.

Published: 3/16/2018 12:24:00 PM

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Phonak Adds to Its Hearing Aid and Speech Understanding Technologies

​Phonak has introduced two lithium-ion rechargeable hearing aids geared to the needs of specific patient populations—those with severe to profound hearing loss and children. Now in its fifth generation, Phonak’s Naída B, for the first time, offers a rechargeable receiver-in-canal option. Naída B provides the industry’s best speech intelligibility index results for those with severe to profound hearing loss, according to the company. Phonak has also added a rechargeable option to its Sky B products, which are designed specifically for children. Sky B-PR gives pediatric patients a full day of uninterrupted hearing on a single charge. Sky B features AutoSense Sky OS and SoundRecover2, which gives children access to a broader range of sounds essential for speech and language development.
 
The company has also launched its new MultiBeam Technology (MBT), the next generation of the Roger 2.4 GHz wireless technology first introduced in 2013. MBT uses three microphones to form six directional beams within 360 degrees. When a microphone with MBT is placed on a table, it automatically selects the speaker to improve speech understanding in group conversations and noisy situations. Powered by MBT are Phonak’s Roger Select, which is equipped with three modes (automatic, manual, lapel) to enable wireless hearing in different environments, and Roger Table Mic II, which is ideal for working adults who need to actively participate in meetings. Phonak has also added the Roger Repeater, which extends the operating range of any Roger network in the Roger for Education portfolio and is ideal for school applications like auditoriums and gymnasiums.
 
The Phonak Naída B and Sky B are now available in the United States, with the rest of the world to follow this month. All new Roger products will be available later in spring 2018.

Published: 3/16/2018 12:24:00 PM

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via IFTTT

Phonak Adds to Its Hearing Aid and Speech Understanding Technologies

​Phonak has introduced two lithium-ion rechargeable hearing aids geared to the needs of specific patient populations—those with severe to profound hearing loss and children. Now in its fifth generation, Phonak’s Naída B, for the first time, offers a rechargeable receiver-in-canal option. Naída B provides the industry’s best speech intelligibility index results for those with severe to profound hearing loss, according to the company. Phonak has also added a rechargeable option to its Sky B products, which are designed specifically for children. Sky B-PR gives pediatric patients a full day of uninterrupted hearing on a single charge. Sky B features AutoSense Sky OS and SoundRecover2, which gives children access to a broader range of sounds essential for speech and language development.
 
The company has also launched its new MultiBeam Technology (MBT), the next generation of the Roger 2.4 GHz wireless technology first introduced in 2013. MBT uses three microphones to form six directional beams within 360 degrees. When a microphone with MBT is placed on a table, it automatically selects the speaker to improve speech understanding in group conversations and noisy situations. Powered by MBT are Phonak’s Roger Select, which is equipped with three modes (automatic, manual, lapel) to enable wireless hearing in different environments, and Roger Table Mic II, which is ideal for working adults who need to actively participate in meetings. Phonak has also added the Roger Repeater, which extends the operating range of any Roger network in the Roger for Education portfolio and is ideal for school applications like auditoriums and gymnasiums.
 
The Phonak Naída B and Sky B are now available in the United States, with the rest of the world to follow this month. All new Roger products will be available later in spring 2018.

Published: 3/16/2018 12:24:00 PM

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Nonverbal Visual Sequential Learning in Children With Cochlear Implants: Preliminary Findings

The authors tested the hypothesis that children with cochlear implants (CIs) experience domain-general deficits in sequential learning. Twenty children with CIs and 40 children with normal hearing (NH) participated. Participants completed a serial reaction time task that measured implicit sequential learning. During random sequence phases, the CI group had significantly slower reaction times than the NH group. However, there were no significant differences in the rates of sequential learning between groups. Age at implantation was not significantly associated with learning rate in the CI group. Children with CIs demonstrated nonverbal sequential learning that is comparable to children with NH. Contrary to previous research, early auditory deprivation may not be associated with deficits in domain-general sequential learning, but may affect sequential processing. Further investigation is needed to understand the mechanisms underlying the overall delayed reaction times of children with CIs. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS: This research was supported by the following grants: NIH-NIDCD: P50DC000242 and American Speech-Language-Hearing Foundation Clinical Research Grant. The authors had full editorial control of this study and article. The authors have no conflicts of interest to disclose. Address for correspondence: Kelsey E. Klein, University of Iowa, 250 Hawkins Drive, Iowa City, IA 52242. E-mail: kelsey-e-klein@uiowa.edu Received July 11, 2017; accepted January 17, 2018. Copyright © 2018 Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc. All rights reserved.

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