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Validation of the LittlEARS® Questionnaire and the Adaptive Auditory Speech Test (AAST) in normal-hearing Maltese-speaking children
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Abstract:
Despite the widespread screening of hearing loss at birth, some children with permanent hearing loss still go undetected, and delayed onset hearing loss remains a concern. Screening post Universal Newborn Hearing Screening (UNHS) is attracting increased interest across researchers and clinicians alike. This study aimed to develop tools that evaluate auditory development and speech recognition skills of Maltese speaking children. A translated version of the LittlEARS® questionnaire was used to examine auditory development in 398 young children less than 2 years of age. Analysis aimed at generating normative data from the total scores of the participants and their age in months. A Maltese version of the Adaptive Auditory Speech Test (AAST) was used to examine the speech recognition skills of 208 children and 40 adults in Quiet, Noise and High Frequency. The aims were to determine the norms in these 3 settings, in adults and children aged 4 years and older. This study confirmed that the Maltese version of LittlEARS® is a valid and reliable tool to evaluate auditory development in children less than two years of age. Norm curves were comparable to the original German data. The Maltese version of AAST confirms an age dependent norm threshold with a significant improvement in threshold being observed as children grow older, similar to other AAST versions. This was evident across the 3 test settings. An approximate difference of 10dB was also noted between 4-year-old and 10-year-old children in AAST in Quiet. Thresholds of 10-year-olds and adults were similar in both the Quiet and High frequency versions. Implications for post UNHS using these tools are addressed.
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Keyword:
ddc:370; ddc:610
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URL: https://kups.ub.uni-koeln.de/53058/
https://kups.ub.uni-koeln.de/53058/1/PHD_PUBLISHED_VERSION.pdf
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