Development of a support model for hearing aid usage in 0- to 1-year children with mild to moderate hearing loss

2018 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 16K01473
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Section: 一般
• Research Field: Rehabilitation science/Welfare engineering
• Research Institution: Seirei Christopher University
• Principal Investigator: Oohara Shigehiro 聖隷クリストファー大学, リハビリテーション学部, 教授 (90758260)
• Research Collaborator: Hirota Eiko
• Project Period (FY): 2016-04-01 – 2019-03-31
• Keywords: 聴覚障害 / 難聴 / 新生児聴覚スクリーニング / 補聴器 / 乳児

Outline of Final Research Achievements

This study examined hearing aid use time, the development of auditory behavior, and factors which correlated with the consistency of early hearing aid use by 0- to 1-year infants. Hearing aid use time was calculated by means of the device’s built-in data-logging capability, as well as through parents’-self-reporting of the number of times the infants removed their own hearing aid. The study found that children with milder hearing losses wore their hearing aids less consistently and experienced less auditory behavior improvement than children with more severe hearing losses. Multiple regression analysis indicated that hearing aid use time was a significantly correlated predictor with the PTA-4, the mean age at the fitting of amplification, and with the parents’ efforts at consistency of hearing aid use. The study suggests the importance of consistent support in medical treatment and education of the parents of 0- to 1-year children with mild to moderate hearing loss.

Free Research Field

小児聴覚障害学

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

本研究では、不快感から乳児が補聴器を外す行為は、長時間装用を妨げるが、補聴器装用時間への直接的な関与の因子ではないこと明らかにし、取り外す頻度より、データロギング等を用いた装用時間への注目や、遊び相手になり気を紛らわせ、補聴器が外れるとすぐに付け直す等の家族の取り組みを支援することの重要性を指摘した。
本研究で得られた早期補聴における装用時間の変容過程や家庭指導のデータは、新生児聴覚スクリーニング後に難聴の診断を受けた乳児の家族に対して、具体的な提案をする上での基礎資料として有用と考えられた。