Most researchers agree that, in the future, ASSR testing will play an important role in clinical audiology. Therefore, it is important for clinical audiologists and Au.D. students to have a good basic understanding of the technical concepts associated with the ASSR, a knowledge of optimal stimulus and recording parameters used to accurately record this response, and an appreciation of the current role and/or limitations of using the ASSR to estimate behavioral thresholds in infants with various degrees and configurations of hearing loss.

The data collected in this study are appropriate for use in clinical diagnosis of APD. Use of a low-linguistically loaded core battery with the addition of more language-based tests, when language abilities are known, can provide a well-rounded picture of a child's auditory processing abilities. Screening for language, phonological processing, attention, and cognitive level can provide more information regarding a diagnosis of APD, determine appropriateness of the test battery for the individual child, and may assist with making recommendations or referrals. It is important to use a multidisciplinary approach in the diagnosis and treatment of APD due to the high likelihood of comorbidity with other language, learning, or attention deficits. Although children with other diagnoses may be tested for APD, it is important to establish previously made diagnoses before testing to aid in appropriate test selection and recommendations.

FM systems have been used to compensate for poor signal-to-noise ratios in classrooms. This study evaluates benefits of a 6-week trial of personal FM systems used during the school day for children with reading delay aged 6-11 years, using a randomized control design. Teachers and children completed the LIFE-UK questionnaire. Test-retest reliability of the LIFE-UK children's version was confirmed in a separate group of 18 children from the same school. The 23 children in the FM group had significantly improved teacher ratings, and the children's ratings of classroom listening for difficult situations were significantly better after the trial. These changes did not occur for the 23 control-group children. Most children (92%) commented positively about the FM after the trial. It is likely that a longer FM trial or a specific reading intervention combined with FM will be required for the benefits of enhanced listening to affect performance on standardized reading tests.

Personal FM systems produce immediate speech perception benefits and enhancement of speech-evoked cortical responses in noise in the laboratory. The 20-week FM trial produced significant improvements in behavioral measures of auditory processing and participants' perceptions of their listening skills. Teacher and parent questionnaires also indicated positive outcomes.

A longitudinal study reported positive speech and language outcomes for 29 children with hearing loss in an auditory-verbal therapy program (AVT group) (aged 2 to 6 years at start; mean PTA 79.39 dB HL) compared with a matched control group with typical hearing (TH group) at 9, 21, and 38 months after the start of the study. The current study investigates outcomes over 50 months for 19 of the original pairs of children matched for language age, receptive vocabulary, gender, and socioeconomic status. An assessment battery was used to measure speech and language over 50 months, and reading, mathematics, and self-esteem over the final 12 months of the study. Results showed no significant differences between the groups for speech, language, and self-esteem (p > 0.05). Reading and mathematics scores were comparable between the groups, although too few for statistical analysis. Auditory-verbal therapy has proved to be effective for this population of children with hearing loss.Is Auditory-Verbal Therapy Effective 365 for total language, receptive vocabulary, gender, and socioeconomic level (as measured by the education level of the head of the household). Participants Auditory-Verbal Therapy Group (AVT Group)Selection criteria for the participants were: Pure-Tone Average (PTA) at 500 Hz, 1000 Hz, 2000 Hz, and 4000 Hz of ≥ 40dB hearing threshold levels in the better ear; prelingually deafened (at ≤ 18 months old); attended the educational program weekly for intensive one-on-one, parent-based AVT for a minimum of 6 months; wore hearing devices consistently (hearing aids and/or cochlear implants) and aided hearing was within the speech range or had received a cochlear implant; no other significant cognitive or physical disabilities reported by parents or educators; 2 to 6 years of age at the first test session; and both parents spoke only English to the child .The children attended one of the five regional centers of an AVT program in Queensland, Australia, which offers a range of services including audiology, early intervention, and a cochlear implant program. This program adheres to the Principles of Auditory-Verbal Therapy (adapted from Pollack, 1970; endorsed by the AG Bell Academy for Listening and Spoken Language, 2007). Even though a particular AVT program may adhere to all of these principals, programs may vary in the operational details. A description of the AVT program in this study can be found at http://www.hearandsaycenter.com.au/ mission-delivery.html.Of the 10 children who left the study between the 38-month and 50-month posttests, 2 had left the program because of diagnosis of additional disabilities, 6 had moved away or were unavailable for testing, and the departure of 2 TH group children from the study necessitated omitting their matched AVT group pair. The remaining AVT group participants had bilateral sensorineural hearing loss ranging from moderate to profound (mean PTA 79.39 dB HL; range = 45 dB to >110 dB). All children were fitted with hearing aids, commencing intervention within 3 months of diagn...

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There is currently no widely accepted objective method used to identify (central) auditory processing disorder ([C]APD). Audiologists often rely on behavioral test methods to diagnose (C)APD, which can be highly subjective. This is problematic in light of relevant literature that has reported a lack of adequate graduate-level preparation related to (C)APD. This is further complicated when exacerbated by the use of inconsistent test procedures from those used to standardize tests of (C)APD, resulting in higher test variability. The consequences of modifying test administration and scoring methods for tests of (C)APD are not currently documented in the literature.This study aims to examine the effect of varying test administration and scoring procedures from those used to standardize tests of (C)APD on test outcome.This study used a repeated-measures design in which all participants were evaluated in all test conditions. The effects of varying the number of test items administered and the use of repetitions of missed test items on the test outcome score were assessed for the frequency patterns test (FPT), competing sentences test (CST), and the low-pass filtered speech test (LPFST). For the CST only, two scoring methods were used (a strict and a lax criterion) to determine whether or not scoring method affected test outcome.Thirty-three native English-speaking adults served as participants. All participants had normal hearing (as defined by thresholds of 25-dB HL or better) at all octave band frequencies from 500 to 4000 Hz, with thresholds of 55-dB HL or better at 8000 Hz. All participants had normal cognitive function as assessed by the Mini-Mental State Examination.Paired samples t-tests were used to evaluate the differences in test outcome when varying the CST scoring method. A 3 × 2 × 2 repeated-measures factorial analysis of variance (ANOVA) was used to determine the effects of test, length, and repetitions on outcome score for all three tests of auditory processing ability. Individual 2 × 2 repeated-measures two-way ANOVAs were subsequently conducted for each test to further evaluate interactions.There was no effect of scoring method on the CST outcome. There was a significant main effect of repetition use for the FPT and LPFST, in that test scores were greater when corrected for repetitions. An interaction between test length and repetitions was found for the LPFST only, such that there was a greater effect of repetition use when a shorter test was administered compared with a longer test.Test outcome may be affected when test administration procedures are varied from those used to standardize the test, lending itself to the broader possibility that the overall diagnosis of (C)APD may be subsequently affected.