The Efficacy of Utilizing the P300 as a Measure of Auditory Deprivation in Monaurally Aided Profoundly Hearing-impaired Children

Auditory event-related responses have been successfully used to differentiate the effects of auditory deprivation in laboratory animals and could provide an alternative and less subjective method of testing auditory deprivation. The purpose of this study was to investigate the efficacy of using the P300 response to measure auditory deprivation in monaurally aided children with hearing impairment. Seventeen children (8 female, 9 male) aged 9 to 18 years (M = 13.1 years) participated in the study. Ten subjects with bilateral congenital severe to profound sensorineural hearing losses (M = 87 dB) were recruited from a residential school for the deaf. All had worn monaural amplification for at least 8 years. Seven children with normal hearing sensitivity were matched for age effects. A two-tone auditory oddball paradigm was utilized to elicit the P300 responses. Statistical analysis revealed that the P300 amplitude was significantly greater in the aided ear compared to the unaided ear of the hearing-impaired group (p < 0.05). Two unaided ears of this group had no measurable responses. No other significant latency or amplitude differences were found within or between groups. Results of this investigation serve to reconfirm that binaural amplification should routinely be recommended for hearing-impaired children.