The Impact of Hearing Aids on Speech Perception in Mandarin-Speaking Children

BACKGROUND: Severe hearing loss can affect speech perception in children, and hearing aids as a medical device may help improve speech perception in children. OBJECTIVE: To explore the effects of fitting hearing aids (HAs) on speech perception in children with severe hearing loss (60–70 dB HL). METHODS: Ninety-five children with bilateral severe hearing loss who were fitted bilaterally with HAs before the age of 3 years were followed up. The subjects were grouped according to their age at the time of fitting, i.e., <1, 1–2 , and 2–3 years groups. The Mandarin Early Speech Perception test was used to evaluate speech perception of Mandarin monosyllabic words at 12, 24, and 36 months after fitting. RESULTS: There were significant improvements in vowel, consonant, and tone perception scores from 12 to 36 months after fitting HAs in the three age groups, and the mean score at 36 months after fitting was significantly improved at >85%. The mean speech pattern and spondee perception scores averaged at >90% at 12 months after fitting and were comparable to the scores of 2-year-old children with normal hearing. CONCLUSIONS: HA helps with speech perception in children with severe hearing loss.