Test-retest reliability of speech-evoked auditory brainstem response in healthy children at a low sensation level

Speech auditory brainstem response in audiological practice: a systematic review

BACKGROUND

Speech-ABR is an auditory brainstem response that evaluates the integrity of the temporal and spectral coding of speech in the upper levels of the brainstem. It reflects the acoustic properties of the stimulus used and consists of seven major waves. Waves V and A represent the onset of the response; wave C transition region; D, E, and F waves periodic region (frequency following response); and wave O reflects the offset of the response.

PURPOSE

The aim of this study is to evaluate the clinical availability of the speech-ABR procedure through a literature review.

METHODS

Literature search was conducted in Pubmed, Google Scholar, Scopus and Science Direct databases. Clinical studies of the last 15 years have been included in this review and 60 articles have been reviewed.

RESULTS

As a result of the articles reviewed, it was seen that most of the studies on speech ABR were conducted with children and young people and generally focused on latency analysis measurements. Most used stimulus is the /da/ syllable.

CONCLUSIONS

Speech ABR can objectively measure the auditory cues important for speech recognition and has many clinical applications. It can be used as a biomarker for auditory processing disorders, learning disorders, dyslexia, otitis media, hearing loss, language disorders and phonological disorders. S-ABR is an effective procedure that can be used in speech and language evaluations in people with hearing aids or cochlear implant. It may also be of benefit to the aging auditory system's ability to encode temporal cues.

The development, validity, reliability, and norm of a preschool auditory processing assessment scale in China

BACKGROUND

Children with auditory processing deficits may face problems with language, learning, and social communication.

AIMS

To develop a Chinese auditory processing assessment scale for preschool children and establish the norms of the scale.

METHODS AND PROCEDURES

The predictive version of the scale was formed by a literature review, qualitative interviews, expert consultation, and a pre-test with a small sample. Nine kindergartens in Nanjing were selected by a stratified cluster sampling plan. First, 734 children from two kindergartens were selected for the large sample pre-test of the scale. Then, 1526 children from four kindergartens and 1151 children from three kindergartens were selected for the reliability and validity analysis and confirmatory factor analysis, respectively. The standardized norm data of the scale were established based on the 3411 points of scale data of the nine kindergartens. Finally, the clinical usefulness of the scale was analyzed by comparing the results of objective auditory processing tests in children with normal and abnormal auditory processing prompted by the score on the scale.

OUTCOMES AND RESULTS

The preschool auditory processing assessment scale includes 5 dimensions and 30 items. The Cronbach's alpha value of the scale is greater than 0.9. The confirmatory factor analysis results verify that the scale structure is reasonable. The percentile norm of the scale was established. The results of electrophysiological tests of the normal and abnormal auditory processing groups were statistically different (P < 0.05).

CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS

The developed preschool auditory processing assessment scale has good reliability and validity. The scale is suitable for clinical application.

Frequency-Following Response and Auditory Behavior in Children with Prenatal Exposure to the Zika Virus

Introduction Prenatal exposure to the Zika virus can impair neurodevelopment and cause auditory damage.

Objective To analyze the frequency-following response (FFR) and the auditory behavior (with the LittlEars ® questionnaire) of children with and without prenatal exposure to Zika virus infection.

Methods A total of 30 children participated in the present study, divided into 3 groups: 10 children with microcephaly and prenatal exposure to the Zika virus; 10 normocephalic children with prenatal exposure to the Zika virus; and 10 children with no evidence of prenatal exposure to the virus. The FFR test was performed with the /da/ syllable. The LittlEars ® questionnaire was used with parents/guardians.

Results For the FFR measurements, there was no difference between the groups. The children with exposure to the Zika virus presented a final score in the questionnaire below what is expected from children with normal hearing. A significant difference was observed for the final, semantic, and expressive scores between the group with microcephaly and the other groups. A strong negative correlation was seen between the LittlEars ® questionnaire final score and the FFR measurements for the group with microcephaly when compared with the other groups.

Conclusion Children exposed to the Zika virus, with and without microcephaly, presented FFR patterns similar to what was seen in children with no evidence of virus exposure. However, they showed signs of immature auditory behavior, suggesting auditory development delay.

Electrophysiological Screening for Children With Suspected Auditory Processing Disorder: A Systematic Review

Objective: This research aimed to provide evidence for the early identification and intervention of children at risk for auditory processing disorder (APD). Electrophysiological studies on children with suspected APDs were systematically reviewed to understand the different electrophysiological characteristics of children with suspected APDs. Methods: Computerized databases such as PubMed, Cochrane, MEDLINE, Web of Science, and EMBASE were searched for retrieval of articles since the establishment of the database through May 18, 2020. Cohort, case-control, and cross-sectional studies that evaluated the literature for the electrophysiological assessment of children with suspected APD were independently reviewed by two researchers for literature screening, literature quality assessment, and data extraction. The Newcastle-Ottawa Scale and 11 entries recommended by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality were used to evaluate the quality of the literature. Results: In accordance with the inclusion criteria, 14 articles were included. These articles involved 7 electrophysiological testing techniques: click-evoked auditory brainstem responses, frequency-following responses, the binaural interaction component of the auditory brainstem responses, the middle-latency response, cortical auditory evoked potential, mismatch negativity, and P300. The literature quality was considered moderate. Conclusions: Auditory electrophysiological testing can be used for the characteristic identification of children with suspected APD; however, the value of various electrophysiological testing methods for screening children with suspected APD requires further study.