Semin Hear 2018; 39(04): 377-389
DOI: 10.1055/s-0038-1670700
Review Article
Thieme Medical Publishers 333 Seventh Avenue, New York, NY 10001, USA.

The Use of Frequency Lowering Technology in the Treatment of Severe-to-Profound Hearing Loss: A Review of the Literature and Candidacy Considerations for Clinical Application

Danielle Glista
1   National Centre for Audiology/Communication Sciences and Disorders, The University of Western Ontario, London, Ontario, Canada
,
Susan Scollie
1   National Centre for Audiology/Communication Sciences and Disorders, The University of Western Ontario, London, Ontario, Canada
› Author Affiliations
Further Information

Publication History

Publication Date:
26 October 2018 (online)

Abstract

This article provides a review of the current literature on the topic of frequency lowering hearing aid technology specific to the treatment of severe and profound levels of hearing impairment in child and adult listeners. Factors to consider when assessing listener candidacy for frequency lowering technology are discussed. These include factors related to audiometric assessment, the listener, the type of hearing aid technology, and the verification and validation procedures that can assist in determining candidacy for frequency lowering technology. An individualized candidacy assessment including the use of real-ear verification measures and carefully chosen validation tools are recommended for listeners requiring greater audibility of high-frequency sounds, when compared with amplification via conventional hearing aid technology.

General Disclosure Statement

Dr. Scollie has been awarded research grants from Sonova and Oticon.


 
  • References

  • 1 Auriemmo J, Kuk F, Lau C. , et al. Effect of linear frequency transposition on speech recognition and production of school-age children. J Am Acad Audiol 2009; 20 (05) 289-305
  • 2 Bohnert A, Nyffeler M, Keilmann A. Advantages of a non-linear frequency compression algorithm in noise. Eur Arch Otorhinolaryngol 2010; 267 (07) 1045-1053
  • 3 Glista D, Scollie S, Bagatto M, Seewald R, Parsa V, Johnson A. Evaluation of nonlinear frequency compression: clinical outcomes. Int J Audiol 2009; 48 (09) 632-644
  • 4 Glista D, Scollie S, Sulkers J. Perceptual acclimatization post nonlinear frequency compression hearing aid fitting in older children. J Speech Lang Hear Res 2012; 55 (06) 1765-1787
  • 5 Glista D, Hawkins M, Bohnert A, Rehmann J, Wolfe J, Scollie S. The effect of adaptive nonlinear frequency compression on phoneme perception. Am J Audiol 2017; 26 (04) 531-542
  • 6 Ellis RJ, Munro KJ. Benefit from, and acclimatization to, frequency compression hearing aids in experienced adult hearing-aid users. Int J Audiol 2015; 54 (01) 37-47
  • 7 Hopkins K, Khanom M, Dickinson AM, Munro KJ. Benefit from non-linear frequency compression hearing aids in a clinical setting: the effects of duration of experience and severity of high-frequency hearing loss. Int J Audiol 2014; 53 (04) 219-228
  • 8 Kokx-Ryan M, Cohen J, Cord MT. , et al. Benefits of nonlinear frequency compression in adult hearing aid users. J Am Acad Audiol 2015; 26 (10) 838-855
  • 9 Kuk F, Keenan D, Korhonen P, Lau CC. Efficacy of linear frequency transposition on consonant identification in quiet and in noise. J Am Acad Audiol 2009; 20 (08) 465-479
  • 10 Salorio-Corbetto M, Baer T, Moore BCJ. Evaluation of a frequency-lowering algorithm for adults with high-frequency hearing loss. Trends Hear 2017; 21: 2331216517734455
  • 11 Simpson A, Hersbach AA, McDermott HJ. Frequency-compression outcomes in listeners with steeply sloping audiograms. Int J Audiol 2006; 45 (11) 619-629
  • 12 Miller CW, Bates E, Brennan M. The effects of frequency lowering on speech perception in noise with adult hearing-aid users. Int J Audiol 2016; 55 (05) 305-312
  • 13 Hillock-Dunn A, Buss E, Duncan N, Roush PA, Leibold LJ. Effects of nonlinear frequency compression on speech identification in children with hearing loss. Ear Hear 2014; 35 (03) 353-365
  • 14 Brennan MA, McCreery R, Kopun J. , et al. Paired comparisons of nonlinear frequency compression, extended bandwidth, and restricted bandwidth hearing aid processing for children and adults with hearing loss. J Am Acad Audiol 2014; 25 (10) 983-998
  • 15 Kirby BJ, Kopun JG, Spratford M, Mollak CM, Brennan MA, McCreery RW. Listener performance with a novel hearing aid frequency lowering technique. J Am Acad Audiol 2017; 28 (09) 810-822
  • 16 Souza PE, Arehart KH, Kates JM, Croghan NBH, Gehani N. Exploring the limits of frequency lowering. J Speech Lang Hear Res 2013; 56 (05) 1349-1363
  • 17 Parsa V, Scollie S, Glista D, Seelisch A. Nonlinear frequency compression: effects on sound quality ratings of speech and music. Trends Amplif 2013; 17 (01) 54-68
  • 18 Mussoi BS, Bentler RA. Impact of frequency compression on music perception. Int J Audiol 2015; 54 (09) 627-633
  • 19 Margolis RH, Saly GL. Distribution of hearing loss characteristics in a clinical population. Ear Hear 2008; 29 (04) 524-532
  • 20 Pittman AL, Stelmachowicz PG. Hearing loss in children and adults: audiometric configuration, asymmetry, and progression. Ear Hear 2003; 24 (03) 198-205
  • 21 Ching TY, Dillon H, Katsch R, Byrne D. Maximizing effective audibility in hearing aid fitting. Ear Hear 2001; 22 (03) 212-224
  • 22 Ching TY, Dillon H, Byrne D. Speech recognition of hearing-impaired listeners: predictions from audibility and the limited role of high-frequency amplification. J Acoust Soc Am 1998; 103 (02) 1128-1140
  • 23 Hogan CA, Turner CW. High-frequency audibility: benefits for hearing-impaired listeners. J Acoust Soc Am 1998; 104 (01) 432-441
  • 24 Hornsby BW, Johnson EE, Picou E. Effects of degree and configuration of hearing loss on the contribution of high- and low-frequency speech information to bilateral speech understanding. Ear Hear 2011; 32 (05) 543-555
  • 25 Turner CW, Henry BA. Benefits of amplification for speech recognition in background noise. J Acoust Soc Am 2002; 112 (04) 1675-1680
  • 26 Plyler PN, Fleck EL. The effects of high-frequency amplification on the objective and subjective performance of hearing instrument users with varying degrees of high-frequency hearing loss. J Speech Lang Hear Res 2006; 49 (03) 616-627
  • 27 Miller-Hansen DR, Nelson PB, Widen JE, Simon SD. Evaluating the benefit of speech recoding hearing aids in children. Am J Audiol 2003; 12 (02) 106-113
  • 28 Picou EM, Marcrum SC, Ricketts TA. Evaluation of the effects of nonlinear frequency compression on speech recognition and sound quality for adults with mild to moderate hearing loss. Int J Audiol 2015; 54 (03) 162-169
  • 29 Alexander JM, Kopun JG, Stelmachowicz PG. Effects of frequency compression and frequency transposition on fricative and affricate perception in listeners with normal hearing and mild to moderate hearing loss. Ear Hear 2014; 35 (05) 519-532
  • 30 McCreery RW, Alexander J, Brennan MA, Hoover B, Kopun J, Stelmachowicz PG. The influence of audibility on speech recognition with nonlinear frequency compression for children and adults with hearing loss. Ear Hear 2014; 35 (04) 440-447
  • 31 Wolfe J, John A, Schafer E. , et al. Evaluation of wideband frequency responses and non-linear frequency compression for children with mild to moderate high-frequency hearing loss. Int J Audiol 2015; 54 (03) 170-181
  • 32 Moore BC. Dead regions in the cochlea: diagnosis, perceptual consequences, and implications for the fitting of hearing AIDS. Trends Amplif 2001; 5 (01) 1-34
  • 33 Moore BC, Glasberg BR, Stone MA. New version of the TEN test with calibrations in dB HL. Ear Hear 2004; 25 (05) 478-487
  • 34 Robinson JD, Stainsby TH, Baer T, Moore BC. Evaluation of a frequency transposition algorithm using wearable hearing aids. Int J Audiol 2009; 48 (06) 384-393
  • 35 Salorio-Corbetto M, Baer T, Moore BCJ. Quality ratings of frequency-compressed speech by participants with extensive high-frequency dead regions in the cochlea. Int J Audiol 2017; 56 (02) 106-120
  • 36 Cox RM, Alexander GC, Johnson J, Rivera I. Cochlear dead regions in typical hearing aid candidates: prevalence and implications for use of high-frequency speech cues. Ear Hear 2011; 32 (03) 339-348
  • 37 Stelmachowicz PG, Pittman AL, Hoover BM, Lewis DE, Moeller MP. The importance of high-frequency audibility in the speech and language development of children with hearing loss. Arch Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg 2004; 130 (05) 556-562
  • 38 Boothroyd A, Medwetsky L. Spectral distribution of /s/ and the frequency response of hearing aids. Ear Hear 1992; 13 (03) 150-157
  • 39 Stelmachowicz PG, Pittman AL, Hoover BM, Lewis DE. Effect of stimulus bandwidth on the perception of /s/ in normal- and hearing-impaired children and adults. J Acoust Soc Am 2001; 110 (04) 2183-2190
  • 40 McCreery RW, Brennan MA, Hoover B, Kopun J, Stelmachowicz PG. Maximizing audibility and speech recognition with nonlinear frequency compression by estimating audible bandwidth. Ear Hear 2013; 34 (02) e24-e27
  • 41 Stelmachowicz PG, Hoover BM, Lewis DE, Kortekaas RW, Pittman AL. The relation between stimulus context, speech audibility, and perception for normal-hearing and hearing-impaired children. J Speech Lang Hear Res 2000; 43 (04) 902-914
  • 42 Pittman AL. Short-term word-learning rate in children with normal hearing and children with hearing loss in limited and extended high-frequency bandwidths. J Speech Lang Hear Res 2008; 51 (03) 785-797
  • 43 Moeller MP, Hoover B, Putman C. , et al. Vocalizations of infants with hearing loss compared with infants with normal hearing: Part I--Phonetic development. Ear Hear 2007; 28 (05) 605-627
  • 44 McDermott HJ. A technical comparison of digital frequency-lowering algorithms available in two current hearing aids. PLoS One 2011; 6 (07) e22358
  • 45 Akeroyd MA. Are individual differences in speech reception related to individual differences in cognitive ability? A survey of twenty experimental studies with normal and hearing-impaired adults. Int J Audiol 2008; 47 (47) (Suppl. 02) S53-S71
  • 46 Ellis RJ, Munro KJ. Does cognitive function predict frequency compressed speech recognition in listeners with normal hearing and normal cognition?. Int J Audiol 2013; 52 (01) 14-22
  • 47 Arehart KH, Souza P, Baca R, Kates JM. Working memory, age, and hearing loss: susceptibility to hearing aid distortion. Ear Hear 2013; 34 (03) 251-260
  • 48 Simpson A. Frequency-lowering devices for managing high-frequency hearing loss: a review. Trends Amplif 2009; 13 (02) 87-106
  • 49 Alexander JM. 20Q: Frequency Lowering Ten Years Later - New Technology Innovations From the Desk of Gus Mueller 20Q: Frequency Lowering Ten Years Later - New Technology Innovations. AudiologyOnline 2016;(September):1–16
  • 50 Bentler R, Walker E, McCreery R, Arenas RM, Roush P. Nonlinear frequency compression in hearing aids: impact on speech and language development. Ear Hear 2014; 35 (04) e143-e152
  • 51 Wolfe J, John A, Schafer E, Nyffeler M, Boretzki M, Caraway T. Evaluation of nonlinear frequency compression for school-age children with moderate to moderately severe hearing loss. J Am Acad Audiol 2010; 21 (10) 618-628
  • 52 Wolfe J, Duke M, Schafer EC. , et al. Preliminary evaluation of a novel non-linear frequency compression scheme for use in children. Int J Audiol 2017; 56 (12) 976-988
  • 53 Smith J, Dann M, Margaret Brown P. An evaluation of frequency transposition for hearing-impaired school-age children. Deafness Educ Int 2009; 11 (02) 62-82
  • 54 Alexander JM. Nonlinear frequency compression: influence of start frequency and input bandwidth on consonant and vowel recognition. J Acoust Soc Am 2016; 139 (02) 938-957
  • 55 Hotton M, Bergeron F. Effectiveness of frequency-lowering hearing aids and electric acoustic stimulation cochlear implant for treating people with a severe-to-profound high-frequency hearing loss. J Otolaryngol ENT Res 2017; 6 (03) 00162
  • 56 Alexander JM. How to use probe microphone measures with hearing aids. Audiol Pract 2014; 6 (04) 8-13
  • 57 American Academy of Audiology (AAA). American Academy of Audiology Clinical Practice Guidelines on Pediatric Amplification. 2013. Available at: http://www.audiology.org/publications-resources/ . Accessed September 5, 2018
  • 58 Scollie S, Glista D, Seto J. , et al. Fitting frequency-lowering signal processing applying the American Academy of audiology pediatric amplification guideline: Updates and protocols. J Am Acad Audiol 2016; 27 (03) 219-236
  • 59 Glista D, Hawkins M, Scollie S. An update on modified verification approaches for frequency lowering. AudiologyOnline 2016;May:1–9
  • 60 Glista D. Can I use my hearing instrument fitting system to verify frequency lowering hearing aid technology?. AudiologyOnline 2017;September:1–4
  • 61 John A, Wolfe J, Schafer E. , et al. Original research: in asymmetric high-frequency hearing loss, NLFC helps. Hear J 2013; 66 (09) 26-29
  • 62 Wolfe J, John A, Schafer E. , et al. Long-term effects of non-linear frequency compression for children with moderate hearing loss. Int J Audiol 2011; 50 (06) 396-404
  • 63 Owens E, Schubert ED. Development of the California Consonant Test. J Speech Hear Res 1977; 20 (03) 463-474
  • 64 Bench J, Kowal A, Bamford J. The BKB (Bamford-Kowal-Bench) sentence lists for partially-hearing children. Br J Audiol 1979; 13 (03) 108-112
  • 65 Glista D, Scollie S, Moodie S, Easwar V. ; Network of Pediatric Audiologists of Canada. The Ling 6(HL) test: typical pediatric performance data and clinical use evaluation. J Am Acad Audiol 2014; 25 (10) 1008-1021
  • 66 Schmitt N, Winkler A, Boretzki M, Holube I. A phoneme perception test method for high-frequency hearing aid fitting. J Am Acad Audiol 2016; 27 (05) 367-379
  • 67 Glista D, Scollie S. Development and evaluation of an English language measure of detection of word-final plurality markers: the University of Western Ontario Plurals Test. Am J Audiol 2012; 21 (01) 76-81