Investigating the contribution of extended high-frequency hearing loss to poor speech-in-noise perception in clinically normal hearing children and young adults

具有临床定义的听力正常的人经常报告在具有挑战性的环境中听力困难。 他们经常在没有诊断的情况下离开听力学诊所，解释他们在噪音中倾听的困难。 对成年人的研究表明，扩展高频(EHF；&GT；8 kHz)听力超出了目前测试的范围 临床测听的范围，有助于在噪声中进行言语感知。年幼的孩子对 流行性出血热，这种敏感性在余生中逐渐丧失。先前的研究发现， 流行性出血热听力损失(EHFHL)与噪声中语音理解困难(SIN)的重要关系 临床听力正常的成年人。然而，据我们所知，还没有研究调查这种关系 在发育正常、听力正常的儿童和青年中。本研究旨在通过以下方式解决这一差距 研究EHFHL与儿童和年轻人(8-30岁)罪过知觉受损的关系 Y/O)，临床听力正常(≤20dBHL，0.25~0.8 kHz)。有三个具体目标。在目标1中，我们将 使用标准(0.25-8)建立EHFHL与听力困难主观报告的关系 KHZ)和EHF(9-16 KHZ)测听。演讲、空间和素质的成人和儿童版本(SSQ) 调查问卷将测量自己和父母报告的在噪音中倾听的困难。在目标2中，我们将确定 用声场噪声数字(SfDIN)测试研究EHFHL对空间语音知觉的影响。在《目标3》中， 我们将评估EHFHL的低频相关性及其对SIN的可能影响。目标(线性调频瞬变- 诱发耳声发射)和行为(频谱-时间调制任务)测量阈值以上 听力将被用来确定标准频率(≤8 KHz)上的阈值缺陷是否占 EHFHL和SIN之间的关联已经在成人中观察到，并在儿童中预测。 这些实验的结果将加深我们对流行性出血热对沟通影响的理解 孩子们的能力。如果EHFHL导致儿童在具有挑战性的环境中遇到困难，就像我们 假设，然后在听力测试单元中包括流行性出血热听力评估可以识别易感人群 并反过来导致对听力损失的预防和早期干预。

People with clinically defined normal hearing frequently report difficulty hearing in challenging environments. They often leave audiology clinics with no diagnosis to explain the difficulty they experience listening in noise. Studies in adults demonstrate that extended high frequency (EHF; > 8 kHz) hearing, beyond the currently tested range of clinical audiometry, contributes to speech perception in noise. Young children are the most sensitive to EHFs, and this sensitivity is progressively lost throughout the remainder of life. Previous studies found a significant relationship between EHF hearing loss (EHFHL) and difficulty understanding speech-in-noise (SiN) in adults with clinically normal hearing. However, to our knowledge, no studies have investigated this relationship in typically-developing, normal-hearing children and youth. The present study aims to address this gap by investigating the association between EHFHL and impaired SiN perception in children and young adults (8 to 30 y/o) with clinically normal hearing (≤ 20 dB HL, 0.25 - 0.8 kHz). There are three specific aims. In Aim 1 we will establish the relationship between EHFHL and subjective reports of listening difficulties using standard (0.25-8 kHz) and EHF (9 - 16 kHz) audiometry. The adult and child versions of the Speech, Spatial and Qualities (SSQ) questionnaire will measure self- and parent-reported difficulty listening in noise. In Aim 2 we will determine the impact of EHFHL on the perception of spatial speech using the sound-field digits-in-noise (sfDIN) test. In Aim 3, we will evaluate low-frequency correlates of EHFHL and their possible effect on SiN. Objective (chirp transient- evoked otoacoustic emissions) and behavioral (spectro-temporal modulation task) measures of supra-threshold hearing will be used to determine whether supra-threshold deficits at standard frequencies (≤ 8 kHz) account for associations between EHFHL and SiN that have been observed for adults and are predicted for children. Outcomes of these experiments will enhance our understanding of the impact of EHFHL on communication abilities of children. If EHFHL contributes to the difficulty children experience in challenging environments, as we hypothesize, then including EHF hearing assessment in an audiologic test battery could identify susceptible individuals and in turn lead to prevention and early intervention for hearing loss.