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Semin Hear 2023; 44(S 01): S17-S28
DOI: 10.1055/s-0043-1764136
Review Article

Quantifying Access to Speech in Children with Hearing Loss: The Influence of the Work of Pat Stelmachowicz on Measures of Audibility

Kathryn B. Wiseman
1   Audibility, Perception and Cognition Lab, Boys Town National Research Hospital, Omaha, Nebraska
,
Ryan W. McCreery
1   Audibility, Perception and Cognition Lab, Boys Town National Research Hospital, Omaha, Nebraska
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Abstract

This article reviews the research of Pat Stelmachowicz on traditional and novel measures for quantifying speech audibility (i.e., pure-tone average [PTA], the articulation/audibility index [AI], the speech intelligibility index, and auditory dosage) as predictors of speech perception and language outcomes in children. We discuss the limitations of using audiometric PTA as a predictor of perceptual outcomes in children and how Pat's research shed light on the importance of measures that characterize high-frequency audibility. We also discuss the AI, Pat's work on the calculation of the AI as a hearing aid outcome measure, and how this work led to the application of the speech intelligibility index as a clinically utilized measure of unaided and aided audibility. Finally, we describe a novel measure of audibility—auditory dosage—that was developed based on Pat's work on audibility and hearing aid use for children who are hard of hearing.

Keywords

audibility - hard of hearing - speech recognition - articulation index - speech intelligibility index - auditory dosage - pure-tone average


Publication History

Article published online:
01 March 2023

© 2023. Thieme. All rights reserved.

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