The Use of Mild Gain Hearing Aids for Adults with Auditory Processing Difficulties
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Date
2015
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Publisher
Ohio State University. Department of Speech and Hearing Science
Abstract
The purpose of the present study was to investigate the effect of mild gain hearing aids with directional microphones and noise reduction in adults with auditory processing difficulties. Eleven adults with normal peripheral hearing but complaints and case history consistent with auditory processing difficulties completed speech in noise testing with and without the use of hearing aids and completed questionnaires addressing listening difficulties following testing with and without hearing aids. They also answered a question about their perception of anxiety during testing with and without hearing aids. The adults demonstrated significant improvements on speech in noise testing and on the questionnaires regarding listening difficulty. The majority of them also reported less anxiety during testing when wearing the hearing aids. Future research should include a larger sample size, a longer trial of amplification, should investigate different settings for the hearing aids, and should address subject anxiety in a more specific and measurable way.