My Project

Permanent hearing loss in childhood typically results in language delays, which in turn interfere with the normal development of literacy skills. Identification and intervention in infancy appears to reduce these language delays, particularly in centers where intervention is appropriate and parents are highly supportive. For most infants and young children with permanent hearing loss, hearing aids that amplify speech clearly and comfortably are an important intervention, along with parent counseling and auditory-verbal therapy. If the hearing aid is not appropriate or fitted inaccurately, lack of benefit or damage to residual auditory capacity can result. Presently, the selection of hearing aids for infants requires use of predictive measures of hearing sensitivity, and the use of an “educated guess” approach in choosing high-technology features of modern hearing aids. This project aims to develop and evaluate improved procedures for ensuring that appropriate amplification selections are made for infants. More specifically, the project will develop and evaluate an evidence based software-driven protocol for prescribing, selecting and evaluating hearing aids for infants.