2022 Early Hearing Detection & Intervention Virtual Conference
March 13 - 15, 2022
The Use of Musical Stimuli with Vocals to Obtain Speech Detection Thresholds
In a pediatric audiologic evaluation, a Speech Detection Threshold (SDT) is obtained to determine a child’s awareness of the presence of speech sounds. Alternative stimuli are required to obtain information about hearing sensitivity, as children often habituate to live speech quickly. The goal of this study was to determine whether using filtered, musical stimuli with vocals is a valid method for obtaining Speech Detection Thresholds (SDT) in young listeners.
Three band-pass stimuli filtered to isolate low, mid, and high frequencies were created from the children’s song, ‘Baby Shark’, to be utilized as alternative stimuli to obtain Speech Detection Thresholds. A pre-recorded and a live voice presentation of the stimulus ‘ma ma ma’ were also used to obtain SDTs. Participants included adults with normal hearing and sensorineural hearing loss. Participants were asked to detect pure tones, filtered ‘Baby Shark’ stimuli, and ‘ma ma ma’ stimuli, which were presented in random order for each ear. All thresholds were obtained via the Hughson-Westlake descending method.
Results revealed that there were no significant differences between the live voice and recorded stimuli. SDTs obtained with the filtered ‘Baby Shark’ stimuli were strong predictors of the Pure Tone Averages (PTA) for both ears. Filtered ‘Baby Shark’ stimuli were good predictors for some or all of the corresponding individual pure tone thresholds for each ear. Results also revealed that low and mid-frequency filtered ‘Baby Shark’ stimuli were good predictors of live voice detection thresholds for the right and left ears respectively. The novel ‘Baby Shark’ stimuli have promise for clinical use in obtaining information about auditory sensitivity in young children. Further research should evaluate the efficacy and reliability of using these stimuli with the pediatric population and in individuals with varying degrees and configurations of hearing loss.
- Recognize the importance of alternative auditory stimuli in audiologic evaluations
- Identify various types of stimuli used to assess hearing sensitivity
- Identify the purpose of obtaining a speech detection threshold
Poster:
3353554_15017AnneFitzpatrick.pdf
Presenter: Anne Fitzpatrick
Anne Fitzpatrick is a current student in Montclair State University’s Doctor of Audiology program. She graduated from the University of Rhode Island with her Bachelor of Science in Communication Disorders in 2018. Her research interests include assessment of speech materials in diagnostic clinical procedures
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No relevant financial relationship exist.
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No relevant nonfinancial relationship exist.
Janet Koehnke is Professor and Chair of Communication Sciences & Disorders at Montclair State University and an ASHA Fellow. She was ASHA Vice President for Academic Affairs in Audiology and currently serves on the ASHA Committee on Nominations and Elections, the National Advisory Committee for the Audiology Praxis, and as a CAA Site Visitor. Her research focuses on effects of aging and hearing loss on binaural and spatial hearing.
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Dr. Maryrose McInerney has been practicing audiology in New Jersey since 1981. Dr. Maryrose McInerney is an associate professor at Montclair State University.
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No relevant financial relationship exist.
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No relevant nonfinancial relationship exist.
Joan Besing is Professor and Program Director of the Clinical Graduate Programs in Speech-Language Pathology and in Audiology at Montclair State University and an ASHA Fellow. She received her Ph.D. from LSU and did Postdoctoral training in the Sensory Communication Group at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Her research focuses on the behavioral and electrophysiologic effects of listening in adverse conditions and various aspects of binaural listening. She holds a NJ audiology license and certification from ASHA. She has worked in a school setting, a large children’s hospital in NJ and other practice settings.
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