2024 Early Hearing Detection & Intervention Conference
March 17-19, 2024 • Denver, CO
| Impact of Face Masks on Audiovisual Word Recognition in Young Children with Hearing Loss During the Covid-19 Pandemic
Impact of Face Masks on Audiovisual Word Recognition in Young Children with Hearing Loss During the Covid-19 Pandemic
Objective: To investigate effects of surgical and transparent face masks on audiovisual speech recognition of words for deaf and hard-of-hearing children.
Design: Recorded Word Intelligibility by Picture Identification test (WIPI) was presented via a computer monitor to children in a quiet test room. The acoustic power spectra of each mask type was compared to the baseline no mask condition. Percent correct word recognition was recorded for four mask conditions (no mask, surgical mask, transparent apron mask, and ClearMask) in counterbalanced order. Repeated measures ANOVA was used to test for significant differences in word recognition scores across mask types.
Study Sample: Thirteen children (3 to 7 years) in a private auditory oral school wearing hearing aids, bone-anchored hearing aids, or cochlear implants. Children were excluded if English was not their primary language or if they had a severe speech-language delay, uncorrected vision loss, or developmental disorder that would adversely affect their ability to participate in the task. No children had been exposed to or had contracted the Covid-19 virus.
Results: Acoustic spectra showed a decrease in the 2000–8000 Hz region for the transparent apron mask. The surgical mask and ClearMask showed fewer acoustic effects. Children with hearing aids performed similarly to children with cochlear implants. Word recognition was significantly poorer for surgical masks and transparent apron masks. The ClearMask condition was not significantly worse than the no mask condition for words in quiet.
Conclusions: Standard surgical and custom apron shield masks significantly hampered word recognition, even in quiet conditions. The commercially available ClearMask did not significantly affect scores in quiet for young deaf and hard-of-hearing children, but scores were highly variable.
- Which of four face mask conditions show fewer acoustic effects via acoustic power spectra?
- Does wearing a clear face mask instead of a standard surgical mask improve word recognition in children with hearing loss?
- Was there a difference in performance between children with mild to moderate hearing loss versus those with profound hearing loss?
Presentation:
3353554_14939JodyCaldwell-Kurtzman.pdf
Handouts:
Handout is not Available
Transcripts:
CART transcripts are NOT YET available, but will be posted shortly after the conference
Presenters/Authors
Jody Caldwell-Kurtzman
(Primary Presenter,Co-Presenter,Author,Co-Author), Cincinnati Children's Hospital, jody.caldwell-kurtzman@cchmc.org;
Jody works as a Clinical Research Coordinator III in the Communication Sciences Research Center at Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center since 2019. Jody has a M.Ed. in Applied Behavior Analysis and a B.S. in Psychology. Jody currently coordinates a longitudinal study examining neurodevelopmental, auditory, and speech and language outcomes in very preterm infants through three years of age.
ASHA DISCLOSURE:
Financial -
Nonfinancial -
AAA DISCLOSURE:
Financial -
Nonfinancial -
Erin Lipps
(Co-Presenter,Author,Co-Author), Ohio Valley Voices, ELipps@ohiovalleyvoices.org;
Erin is Doctor of Audiology and works at Ohio Valley Voices, an oral deaf school located in Loveland, Ohio. Erin specializes in pediatric audiology and works with children with cochlear implants and hearing aids who are learning to listen and talk. Erin has a passion for ensuring that all children have the opportunities to achieve anything they wish for in life.
ASHA DISCLOSURE:
Financial -
Nonfinancial -
AAA DISCLOSURE:
Financial -
Nonfinancial -
Lina Motlagh-Zadeh
(Co-Author), Cincinnati Children's Hospital, lina.motlaghzadeh@cchmc.org;
need to add.
ASHA DISCLOSURE:
Financial -
Nonfinancial -
AAA DISCLOSURE:
Financial -
Nonfinancial -
Chelsea Blankenship
(Co-Author), Cincinnati Children's Hospital, chelsea.blankenship@cchmc.org;
Need to add here
ASHA DISCLOSURE:
Financial -
Nonfinancial -
AAA DISCLOSURE:
Financial -
Nonfinancial -
David Moore
(Co-Author), Cincinnati Children's Hospital, david.moore2@cchmc.org;
Need to add.
ASHA DISCLOSURE:
Financial -
Nonfinancial -
AAA DISCLOSURE:
Financial -
Nonfinancial -
Lisa Hunter
(Co-Author), Cincinnati Children's Hospital, lisa.hunter@cchmc.org;
Lisa Hunter is Scientific Director of Audiology and Professor at Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center and the University of Cincinnati. She collaborates on a number of funded studies including evaluating physiologic factors associated with risks for hearing loss and understanding mechanisms for improved follow-up with newborn hearing screening in high risk famlies. She is a faculty with the Leadership Education in Neurodevelopmental and related Disabilities at Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center.
ASHA DISCLOSURE:
Financial -
Nonfinancial -
AAA DISCLOSURE:
Financial -
Nonfinancial -