Little Ears and Brains: Hearing Aids and Intervention

Abstract

Until recently, the habilitation process of children with hearing impairment has focused on providing access to auditory information through hearing assistive technology (e.g., hearing aids and FM systems). It is apparent from the literature that when selecting hearing aids for the pediatric population cognitive and auditory development must be taken into account. In order for pediatric hearing aid users to utilize the information provided by the hearing aids and be successful, an intervention plan that recognizes the role of cognitive factors such as working memory and attention is necessary. The current state of knowledge related to auditory training will be discussed as well as other factors related to improvement in speech perception. Future directions in auditory training and habilitation efforts will be discussed.

Keywords

Glimpsing - auditory training - hearing loss - hearing aids - auditory attention - working memory

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