Audiology and Neurotology · 2010 · 30 citations · 33 references
MedicineAudiologyOtolaryngologyOtologyPediatric AudiologyPediatric OtolaryngologyAudiologic EvaluationHearing ImpairmentHearing LossOtitis MediaPediatric OtologySpeech Perception OutcomesChildhood Speech Sound DisordersDiagnostic Audiology In ChildrenHearing Loss Effects On Speech RecognitionHearing Loss IdentificationInitial Phoneme IdentificationPediatric Speech AudiometrySpeech Perception Tests
The present study examined the effect of early-life otitis media and its associated fluctuating hearing loss on categorical speech perception in 7-year-old Dutch children. The middle ear status of these children had been followed prospectively in their first 2 years of life. Identification and discrimination of speech sounds differing in place of articulation were tested at school age and outcomes were significantly related to otitis media-related hearing loss. Results revealed that phoneme identification and discrimination were affected by early-life hearing loss. It is not otitis media per se, but rather the relative severity of hearing loss resulting from early-life otitis media which is related to poorer categorical speech perception abilities in school-age children.
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