Assistive listening devices for improving auditory processing and school performance of children with special needs (dyslexia, hyperacusis/misophonia, autism spectrum disorder, learning/intellectual/multiple disabilities which include learning/intellectual disabilities)

Recruitment & Eligibility

Status: Recruiting

Sex: All

Target Recruitment: 93

Inclusion Criteria

(1) a peripheral hearing loss has been excluded by pure tone audiometry assessing air conduction and bone conduction thresholds at 0.5, 1, 2, 4, 6, and 8 kHz (for 8 kHz air conduction only),
(2) and auditory processing capabilities have been assessed by a phoniatric-audiological and psychological standard testing using a test battery that involves:
a. speech audiometry in quiet and in noise (Oldenburger Satztest, OLSA or Oldenburger Kindersatztest, OLKISA in noise and Göttinger Kindersprachverständnistest or Freiburger Test für Einsilber in quiet)
b. the dichotic listening test by Uttenweiler or Feldmann, depending on age
c. the Mottier Test
d. the subtest Repetition of Numbers (BASIC-MLT)
e. the Verbal learning and memory test (VLMT, Hogrefe Verlag)
f. the subtests Sentence Repetition, Rhyming, Substitution of Vowels, and Elision of Consonants from the Potsdam-Illinois Test für Psycholinguistische Fähigkeiten (P-ITPA; Ballaschk et al. 2010) [Potsdam-Illinois Test of Psycholinguistic Abilities]
g. the subtests Completion of Words (auditory completion), Connecting Sounds (auditory synthesis) from the Psycholinguistischer Entwicklungstest (PET) [Psycholinguistic development test]
h. the subtests on discrimination of speech stimuli (Place of Articulation, Voicing of Consonants - binaural) and on just noticeable differences of non-speech stimuli (Tone Duration, Frequency - interaural, Sinusoidal Amplitude Modulation - dichotic) from the Bochum Auditory and Speech Discrimination (BASD) Screening, and
i. the subtest Auditory Discrimination from the neuropsychological screening test battery BVN/NPS
(3) a dyslexia (groups I and II) has been diagnosed by a logopedic and/or psychological standard testing using
a. the Hamburger Schreibprobe (HSP) [Hamburg Writing Sample] to record orthographic structure knowledge and spelling strategies
b. the reading test from Salzburger Lese- und Rechtschreibtest II (SLRT-II) [Salzburg Reading and Spelling Test II] for reading fluency of words ans pseudowords
c. the subtests Word Comprehension (decoding, synthesis), Sentence Comprehension (reading with understanding of the content, syntactic abilities), and Text Comprehension (identifying the information, sentence-overarching reading, deductive thinking) from the Ein Leseverständnistest für Erst- bis Sechstklässler (ELFE 1-6) [reading comprehension test for first- to sixt-graders]
(4) a misophonia/hyperacusis (group III) as has been diagnosed by detailed measurements of loudness discomfort levels (LDLs) across the hearing range from 125 to 8 kHz and by the German self-rating questionnaire for the evaluation of hyperacusis, misophonia, and noise sensitivity (Mini-Hyperacusis Questionnaire (Mini-HQ9)
(5) an ASD (group IV) has been diagnosed before by a pediatric-psychological standard assessment
(6) a learning or intellectual disability or multiple disabilities which include learning or intellectual disability (group V) has/have been diagnosed by
• a nonverbal intelligence test using either the Wechsler Nonverbal Scales of Ability (WNV) or the Raven’s Progressive Matrices (RPM), and/or the CFT 1-R (Culture Fair Intelligence Test - Resivion)
• a thorough pediatric assessment (eventually including other expertise such as psychological, radiological, genetic)
(7) parents or guardians and – if appropriate – children have given their written consent for participation in the study.

Exclusion Criteria

Unstable medical conditions or conditions that would place the individual or the examiner at risk for injury, lack of cooperation, or lack of consent of the subject or the parents, teachers or the legal guardian.