Effect of Auditory Training with Music for Hearing Aid Users

Abstract

The purpose of the current study was to evaluate the effect of auditory training with music for hearing aid users. Methods: A total of 19 adults (9 for auditory training group and 10 for non auditory training group) with sensorineural hearing loss participated. The training group was involved at three times per a week for ten-weeks period. The auditory training with music was conducted for 30 minutes, and the training with the speech in the noise, i.e., 0 and 6 dB signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) was conducted for 10 minutes. Word recognition scores and sentence perception in the noise conditions (+6 and 0 dB SNR) were measured at pre-and post-training and at 6 months after the training sessions. Results: There was no significant difference of the word recognition scores between two groups in the quiet condition. However, under noisy circumstances (at both +6 and 0 dB SNR), the auditory training group showed higher speech perception scores than the non-training group in the post-training and 6 month follow-up tests. Conclusion: We suggest that the auditory training with music will be helpful to the adults with hearing aids. However, in order for the auditory training with music to be effective, their motivation should be considered.