Development of the Mandarin Phoneme Detection Score Sheet as a Screening Tool

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Hearing thresholds across frequencies must be obtained for hearing aid fitting. Narrow-band noise (NBN) and speech sounds are often used as stimuli in pediatric audiologic assessments to elicit children’s attention due to their wider frequency ranges as compared to pure tones. However, obtaining complete responses across frequency ranges is challenging in pediatric practice. Therefore, we developed a frequency-specific phoneme screening tool, the Mandarin Phoneme Detection Score Sheet, to help clinicians evaluate aided performance in pediatric practice. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: A total of 30 adults with typical hearing and 30 children aged 3-12 years with hearing loss were recruited. Threshold ranges for the aided detection of Mandarin phonemes and NBN were measured using 95% confidence intervals. A stepwise regression analysis was then performed to identify the Mandarin phonemes that can predict NBN detection performance. RESULTS: The Mandarin Phoneme Detection Score Sheet was developed based on the results of the regression analysis. It was shown that the phonemes /ɤ, a, tɕ(h)/ could predict detection performance at different frequencies. CONCLUSIONS: The Mandarin Phoneme Detection Score Sheet can allow audiologists and early intervention professionals to determine the benefits of hearing aids for pediatric patients in the early stage of hearing loss conditions.