Examination of mechanism of speech recognition among students with impaired hearing in inclusive settings and the effectiveness of digital wireless hearing system

2022 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 20K03054
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Section: 一般
• Review Section: Basic Section 09060:Special needs education-related
• 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)
• Project Period (FY): 2020-04-01 – 2023-03-31
• Keywords: 聴覚障害 / 無線補聴システム / 語音明瞭度 / 補聴器

Outline of Final Research Achievements

Recently, many children with hearing-impaired are learning in inclusive settings using wireless assistive listening devices. In this system, the teacher transmits speech sounds wirelessly through a transmitter to hearing aids or cochlear implants (receivers). In theory, the system is not affected by the distance between the teacher and the children, and they can always hear word sounds that are sufficiently louder than the noise in the classroom. However, there are many unknowns about the effectiveness of this system and the issues it faces, and the development of a clinical evaluation method has been requested. In this study, we developed an evaluation method for adapting the system that combines a word recognition test in noise and a subjective evaluation using questionnaires.

Free Research Field

小児聴覚障害学

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

無線補聴援助システムの効果測定法について、小児療育施設、聴覚特別支援学校に設置されている視覚強化式聴力検査(VRA)装置を用いたプロトコールを開発した。雑音負荷時語音明瞭度を用いて評価し、改善効果は高い雑音負荷条件でより顕著であること、評価に際しては、同SN比条件における無線、非無線入力条件間の改善率への着目が重要であることを明らかにした。さらに、語音聴取成績に加え、児童・生徒の教室場面での主観的な聴取努力評価が有効であることを指摘し、同システムの聴取疲労軽減効果を明らかにした。本研究結果に基づき、学校教育における無線補聴システムの評価と使用の基本方針を明らかにすることが可能となる。