Trends In Amplification
From the Editor Many audiologists use prescriptive hearing aid fitting methods and validate these prescriptions using real-ear techniques. When adults are being fitted, it is then usual to modify hearing aid gain based on physical hearing aid limitations and patient feedback. For example, prescriptive gain may be modified based on patient issues with such things as sound quality, listening comfort, and physical comfort. Past issues of Trends in Amplification have discussed several formalized procedures for gathering such information through self-assessment inventories and other methods. Despite possible modifications to gain, there is little argument that validated prescriptive methods can provide an excellent starting point for a successful and beneficial hearing aid fitting. Some may argue that since prescriptive methods are just a starting point, errors made in the derivation of specific prescriptive gain targets may be less important. That is, prescriptive methods that yield even roughly similar prescriptive gain targets are likely to result in quite similar fits on actual adults after adjustments are made. The situation with infants and small children is quite different. Specifically, listener feedback relative to the hearing aid fit will be limited or unavailable, and there may be less confidence in the diagnostic information on which the prescriptive method is based. Given these limitations, it certainly seems that the derivation of appropriate prescriptive targets, and the precision with which they are applied, is even more important in the pediatric population than it is with adults. In this issue of Trends in Amplification, several well-recognized experts in this area discuss their views on selecting and verifying hearing aid gain and output for the pediatric population. Given that there is certainly not a consensus on the best methodology for fitting children with hearing aids, three separate groups offer their points and counterpoints on this important topic. This issue begins with an article authored by André Marcoux, PhD and Martin Hansen, PhD. Dr. Marcoux received his PhD in psychophysiology from Carleton University, Ottawa, Canada and was a dispensing audiologist in private practice in Ottawa. Since
2001, he has served as a pediatric research audiologist at Widex, A/S, Denmark. His interests pertain to the application of pediatric psychoacoustic research to commercial applications of amplification. Dr. Hansen is currently a professor of medical acoustics at the University of Applied Science Oldenburg/ Ostfriesland/Wilhelmshaven, Oldenburg, Germany. He was formerly a research engineer at the Audiological Research Laboratory, Widex A/S, Værløse, Denmark and served as an external lecturer for technical audiology at the University of Copenhagen from 2000 to 2003. This article is followed by viewpoints from Teresa Y.C. Ching, PhD and Harvey Dillon, PhD from the National Acoustic Laboratories in Australia. Dr. Ching is currently a senior research scientist at the National Acoustic Laboratories in Australia. In previous years, she held faculty appointments at the University of London and the Chinese University of Hong Kong, and also research appointments at Macquarie University and Renwick College in Australia. Her major research interests include the relationship between audibility and speech intelligibility for hearing-impaired people, the psychoacoustic abilities of hearing-impaired people, hearing aid requirements of children, and hearing aid evaluation for children. Dr. Dillon is director of research at the National Acoustic Laboratories in Sydney, and deputy director of the Cooperative Research Centre for Cochlear Implant and Hearing Aid Innovations. In 1979, he joined the National Acoustic Laboratories (NAL) and until 1986, he performed research in speech discrimination testing, audiological testing in sound fields, speech processing for hearing aids, hearing aid fitting methods, and the acoustics of hearing aid coupling systems. From 1986 to 1990, he held various positions (including chief engineer and development manager) in the operational area of NAL. He headed the Hearing Aid Research Section of NAL from 1990 until he became the director of research in 2000. Dr Dillon has performed research on many aspects of hearing aids. Most recently, his research has concerned signal processing schemes for hearing aids, procedures for fitting nonlinear hearing aids, and procedures for evaluating the effectiveness of rehabilitation. Amongst his over 80 publications is a recently released comprehensive text on hearing aids.
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Trends In Amplification
The final opinion is offered by Richard Seewald, PhD and Susan Scollie, MClSc, from the National Centre for Audiology in London, Ontario, Canada. Dr. Seewald holds a Canada Research Chair in Childhood Hearing at the National Centre for Audiology. He is also a professor in the School of Communication Sciences and Disorders, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Western Ontario. For the past 20 years, Dr. Seewald’s work has been focused on issues that pertain to the selection and fitting of amplification in infants and young children. He is known internationally for his work in developing the desired sensation level (DSL) method for pediatric hearing instrument fitting. In addition to his numerous publications and presentations on pediatric amplification, Dr. Seewald developed the popular Phonak
VideoFocus series on pediatric assessment and amplification, and he recently chaired and edited the proceedings from two international conferences on early intervention. Susan Scollie is a research associate and PhD candidate in rehabilitation sciences at the University of Western Ontario. Her research has studied the preferred listening levels of children who use hearing aids, probe microphone measurement procedures, and directional microphones. Ms. Scollie’s dissertation research is focused on the validity of hearing aid verification measures. Her other current research interests include the development and evaluation of prescriptive procedures for pediatric hearing aid fitting. Todd A. Ricketts, PhD Editor-in-Chief
Downloaded from tia.sagepub.com at University of Bath - The Library on June 9, 2015
From the Editor Many audiologists use prescriptive hearing aid fitting methods and validate these prescriptions using real-ear techniques. When adults are being fitted, it is then usual to modify hearing aid gain based on physical hearing aid limitations and patient feedback. For example, prescriptive gain may be modified based on patient issues with such things as sound quality, listening comfort, and physical comfort. Past issues of Trends in Amplification have discussed several formalized procedures for gathering such information through self-assessment inventories and other methods. Despite possible modifications to gain, there is little argument that validated prescriptive methods can provide an excellent starting point for a successful and beneficial hearing aid fitting. Some may argue that since prescriptive methods are just a starting point, errors made in the derivation of specific prescriptive gain targets may be less important. That is, prescriptive methods that yield even roughly similar prescriptive gain targets are likely to result in quite similar fits on actual adults after adjustments are made. The situation with infants and small children is quite different. Specifically, listener feedback relative to the hearing aid fit will be limited or unavailable, and there may be less confidence in the diagnostic information on which the prescriptive method is based. Given these limitations, it certainly seems that the derivation of appropriate prescriptive targets, and the precision with which they are applied, is even more important in the pediatric population than it is with adults. In this issue of Trends in Amplification, several well-recognized experts in this area discuss their views on selecting and verifying hearing aid gain and output for the pediatric population. Given that there is certainly not a consensus on the best methodology for fitting children with hearing aids, three separate groups offer their points and counterpoints on this important topic. This issue begins with an article authored by André Marcoux, PhD and Martin Hansen, PhD. Dr. Marcoux received his PhD in psychophysiology from Carleton University, Ottawa, Canada and was a dispensing audiologist in private practice in Ottawa. Since
2001, he has served as a pediatric research audiologist at Widex, A/S, Denmark. His interests pertain to the application of pediatric psychoacoustic research to commercial applications of amplification. Dr. Hansen is currently a professor of medical acoustics at the University of Applied Science Oldenburg/ Ostfriesland/Wilhelmshaven, Oldenburg, Germany. He was formerly a research engineer at the Audiological Research Laboratory, Widex A/S, Værløse, Denmark and served as an external lecturer for technical audiology at the University of Copenhagen from 2000 to 2003. This article is followed by viewpoints from Teresa Y.C. Ching, PhD and Harvey Dillon, PhD from the National Acoustic Laboratories in Australia. Dr. Ching is currently a senior research scientist at the National Acoustic Laboratories in Australia. In previous years, she held faculty appointments at the University of London and the Chinese University of Hong Kong, and also research appointments at Macquarie University and Renwick College in Australia. Her major research interests include the relationship between audibility and speech intelligibility for hearing-impaired people, the psychoacoustic abilities of hearing-impaired people, hearing aid requirements of children, and hearing aid evaluation for children. Dr. Dillon is director of research at the National Acoustic Laboratories in Sydney, and deputy director of the Cooperative Research Centre for Cochlear Implant and Hearing Aid Innovations. In 1979, he joined the National Acoustic Laboratories (NAL) and until 1986, he performed research in speech discrimination testing, audiological testing in sound fields, speech processing for hearing aids, hearing aid fitting methods, and the acoustics of hearing aid coupling systems. From 1986 to 1990, he held various positions (including chief engineer and development manager) in the operational area of NAL. He headed the Hearing Aid Research Section of NAL from 1990 until he became the director of research in 2000. Dr Dillon has performed research on many aspects of hearing aids. Most recently, his research has concerned signal processing schemes for hearing aids, procedures for fitting nonlinear hearing aids, and procedures for evaluating the effectiveness of rehabilitation. Amongst his over 80 publications is a recently released comprehensive text on hearing aids.
Downloaded from tia.sagepub.com at University of Bath - The Library on June 9, 2015
Trends In Amplification
The final opinion is offered by Richard Seewald, PhD and Susan Scollie, MClSc, from the National Centre for Audiology in London, Ontario, Canada. Dr. Seewald holds a Canada Research Chair in Childhood Hearing at the National Centre for Audiology. He is also a professor in the School of Communication Sciences and Disorders, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Western Ontario. For the past 20 years, Dr. Seewald’s work has been focused on issues that pertain to the selection and fitting of amplification in infants and young children. He is known internationally for his work in developing the desired sensation level (DSL) method for pediatric hearing instrument fitting. In addition to his numerous publications and presentations on pediatric amplification, Dr. Seewald developed the popular Phonak
VideoFocus series on pediatric assessment and amplification, and he recently chaired and edited the proceedings from two international conferences on early intervention. Susan Scollie is a research associate and PhD candidate in rehabilitation sciences at the University of Western Ontario. Her research has studied the preferred listening levels of children who use hearing aids, probe microphone measurement procedures, and directional microphones. Ms. Scollie’s dissertation research is focused on the validity of hearing aid verification measures. Her other current research interests include the development and evaluation of prescriptive procedures for pediatric hearing aid fitting. Todd A. Ricketts, PhD Editor-in-Chief
Downloaded from tia.sagepub.com at University of Bath - The Library on June 9, 2015
