Evaluation of Potential Benefits and Limitations of Noise-Management Technologies for Children with Hearing Aids

The use of adaptive directional microphone technology improves children's speech recognition in noise when the signal of interest arrives from the front and is spatially separated from the competing noise. In contrast, the use of adaptive directional microphone technology may result in a decrease in speech recognition in noise when the signal of interest arrives from behind. The use of a microphone mode that mimics the natural directivity of the unaided auricle provides a slight improvement in speech recognition in noise compared with omnidirectional use with limited decrement in speech recognition in noise when the signal of interest arrives from behind. The use of ANR and frequency-gain shaping provide no change in children's speech recognition in noise. The use of adaptive directional microphone technology, ANR, and frequency-gain shaping improve children's listening comfort, perceived ability to understand speech in noise, and overall listening experience. Children prefer to use each of these noise management technologies regardless of whether the signal of interest arrives from the front or from behind. The use of adaptive directional microphone technology does not result in a decrease in children's localization abilities when compared with the omnidirectional condition. The best localization performance occurred with use of the microphone mode that mimicked the directivity of the unaided auricle.