Despite recent technological advances in the audiologic assessment of children, their hearing aid fitting
remains a daunting task.
Aims of study: To assess effectiveness of amplification in children using aided sound field tests and
Auditory Behavior in Everyday Life (ABEL) questionnaire and to elucidate factors contributing to poor
outcomes.
Methods
Detailed medical history, otoscopic examination, basic audiological evaluation, aided sound field tests
and ABEL questionnaire for 114 hearing impaired children aged 4–16 years.
Results
Congenital HL considered the commonest cause of HL (55.3%), 36% had unknown cause and 8.8% of HI had
acquired cause. Profound loss in 67.5%, severe in 17% and 54.4% of them (54.4%) were fitted around the
age of 3 years. Binaural HA in 88.6% and digital type for 61.4%. There were statistically significant differences
between unaided and aided values in sound field tests for HI children.
Poor performance in direct measures and ABEl in children with congenital and profound degree of hearing
loss, better response when they were fitted earlier with digital aids. ABEL scores showed negative correlations
with aided tonal sound field test and positive with aided speech discrimination score.
Conclusions
Inappropriate amplification, late age of fitting with no speech therapy were clinical red flags for poor outcomes.
ABEL questionnaire was a valid procedure to assess the hearing aids appropriateness.