16th ANNUAL EARLY HEARING DETECTION & INTERVENTION MEETING
February 26-28, 2017 • Atlanta, GA
| Beyond Academics: Exploring the benefits of hearing assistive technology for young children
Beyond Academics: Exploring the benefits of hearing assistive technology for young children
The benefits of Roger/FM in academic and controlled settings has been well documented. It is well studied and accepted that children’s academic performance improves when using hearing assistive technology (HAT) with personal amplification in the classroom. Speech-in-noise (SIN) testing has shown a significant improvement with the addition of HAT to amplification; however, few studies have evaluated the effect of HAT in environments beyond traditional educational settings including use by parents and caregivers.
Marion’s Way Preschool, a summer preschool program for children with hearing loss, tracks the benefits of using HAT, specifically Roger/FM, in everyday environments following parent education, counseling and coaching. Throughout the preschool, each child wears their personal amplification and utilizes integrated HAT at school and at home. The impact of the use of HAT combined with the parent education and support is tracked in three ways. First, children are assessed using a SIN test with and without HAT. Second, parents complete a pre-HAT questionnaire and a post-HAT questionnaire which provide a subjective measurement of the child’s ability to attend and understand speech in a variety of settings (i.e., in quiet, in noise, with auditory only, and at a distance). And third, pre- and post-HAT LENA recordings were analyzed, providing an objective measurement of language in the child’s environment.
Results indicated an improvement in speech understanding in noise, child’s attention, and adult/child interactions. Therefore, the use of HAT, specifically Roger/FM, in combination with parent education in the areas of optimizing audibility, controlling signal-to-noise ratios and maximizing communication in difficult to communicate environments benefits young children in many environments.
- Explain the benefits of hearing assistive technology outside of traditional academic settings
- Provide subjective and objective evidence of the benefits of hearing assistive technology in nontraditional classroom environments
- Implement the use of parent training in the fitting and use of hearing assistive technology
Presentation:
This presentation has not yet been uploaded or the speaker has opted not to make the presentation available online.
Handouts:
Handout is not Available
Transcripts:
CART transcripts are NOT YET available, but will be posted shortly after the conference
Presenters/Authors
Sandra Gabbard
(), Marion Downs Center, sandra.gabbard@mariondowns.org;
Sandra Gabbard is an Associate Professor of Audiology at the University of Colorado where she is the Coordinator of the Pediatric Audiology LEND MCHB training grant, which supports AuD students and post-doctoral audiologists to expand their expertise in pediatric audiology. In addition, Sandra is the CEO/President and audiologist at the Marion Downs Center, a non-profit community clinic which provides services in audiology, speech therapy, and more.
ASHA DISCLOSURE:
Financial -
No relevant financial relationship exist.
Nonfinancial -
No relevant nonfinancial relationship exist.
Laurel Thorburn
(), University of Colorado in Boulder, laurel.thorburn@colorado.edu;
Laurel Thorburn is a current audiology graduate student at the University of Colorado in Boulder. Laurel is passionate about helping those in need in both developed and developing countries, specifically pediatrics. Having spent a great deal of time working with underprivileged orphanages in Peru and Mexico, Laurel knew that whatever career she chose to pursue had to allow her to give back to the community and help those in need. With the guidance of Dr. Sandra Gabbard, Laurel has been able to make these dreams a reality and has grown both as a student and as a future humanitarian audiologist.
ASHA DISCLOSURE:
Financial -
No relevant financial relationship exist.
Nonfinancial -
No relevant nonfinancial relationship exist.