Adaptive hearing aid benefit in children with mild/moderate hearing loss: A registered, double-blind, randomized clinical trial

Stewart, H. J.; Cash, E. K.; Pinkl, J. J.; Nakeva von Mentzer, C.; Audiology, C. D. o.; Hunter, L. L.; Moore, D. R.

Objectives: We completed a registered double-blind randomized control trial to compare acclimatization to two hearing aid algorithms by experienced pediatric hearing aid users with mild to moderate hearing loss. We hypothesized that extended use (up to 13 months) of the adaptive algorithm with integrated directionality and noise reduction, OpenSound Navigator (OSN), would result in improved performance compared to the control algorithm, omnidirectional (Omni), on auditory, cognitive and academic tasks. Design: We recruited 42 children, aged 6 - 13 years old, through Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center's Division of Audiology. Two children withdrew from the study due to noncompliance or discomfort. The remaining 40 children were paired by age (within one year) and hearing loss (level and configuration). The individuals from each pair were randomly assigned to a group: OSN (experimental) and Omni (control). Each child completed an audiology evaluation, hearing aid fitting, a follow up audiological appointment and two research visits up to 13 months apart. Research visit outcome measures covered speech perception (in quiet and in noise), novel grammar and word learning, cognition, academic ability and caregiver report of listening behaviours. Results: The children with the experimental algorithm did not show improved performance on the outcome measures compared to the control algorithm. There was a significant relationship between age at first hearing aid use and Reading and Mathematical ability across all participants. Data from six children were not included in the analysis due to daily hearing aid usage of less than 6 hours. Conclusions: Use of the experimental algorithm (OSN) neither enhanced nor reduced performance on auditory, cognitive and academic tasks compared to the control algorithm (Omni).