Hearing impaired children's preference for, and performance with, four combinations of directional microphone and digital noise reduction technology.

BACKGROUND Before advanced noise-management features can be recommended for use in children with hearing loss, evidence regarding their ability to use these features to optimize speech perception is necessary. PURPOSE The purpose of this study was to examine the relation between children's preference for, and performance with, four combinations of noise-management features in noisy listening environments. RESEARCH DESIGN Children with hearing loss were asked to repeat short sentences presented in steady-state noise or in multitalker babble while wearing ear-level hearing aids. The aids were programmed with four memories having an orthogonal arrangement of two noise-management features. The children were also asked to indicate the hearing aid memory that they preferred in each of the listening conditions both initially and after a short period of use. STUDY SAMPLE Fifteen children between the ages of 8 and 12 yr with moderate hearing losses, bilaterally. RESULTS The children's preference for noise management aligned well with their performance for at least three of the four listening conditions. The configuration of noise-management features had little effect on speech perception with the exception of reduced performance for speech originating from behind the child while in a directional hearing aid setting. Additionally, the children's preference appeared to be governed by listening comfort, even under conditions for which a benefit was not expected such as the use of digital noise reduction in the multitalker babble conditions. CONCLUSIONS The results serve as evidence in support of the use of noise-management features in grade-school children as young as 8 yr of age.