Challenges for Children with Cochlear Implants in Everyday Listening Scenarios: The Competitive Effect of Noise and Face Masks on Speech Intelligibility
Speech intelligibility (SI) tests under realistic acoustic scenarios are complex tasks to perform. Optimal acoustics, in terms of reverberation and noise, are thus needed. This is particularly true in the presence of young hard-of-hearing (HoH) children equipped with cochlear implants who need speech to be highly intelligible to learn. During the COVID-19 pandemic starting in early 2020, wearing face masks became common to avoid the spread of infection, mainly impacting the increasingly challenging task of listening for HoH listeners. This study investigated the influence of different types of face masks on speech intelligibility and listening difficulty under competitive noise scenarios. Fourteen children with cochlear implants were involved, as well as six children with typical hearing. Three types of face masks with different acoustic, filtration, and breathability characteristics were considered; three signal-to-noise ratios (SNR) of +10 dB, +5 dB, and 0 dB were used. As expected, lower SNRs corresponded to lower speech intelligibility, and SI without a mask was similar to that obtained with a mask at the lowest acoustic attenuation, albeit with a low filtration efficiency. These preliminary outcomes help improve speech communication strategies in classrooms to support optimal listening conditions.
机构:
Univ Wisconsin Madison, Waisman Ctr, Madison, WI 53715 USA
Univ Wisconsin Madison, Dept Commun Sci & Disorders, Madison, WI 53715 USAUniv Wisconsin Madison, Waisman Ctr, Madison, WI 53715 USA
Burg, Emily A.
Thakkar, Tanvi D.
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Univ Wisconsin La Crosse, Dept Psychol, La Crosse, WI USAUniv Wisconsin Madison, Waisman Ctr, Madison, WI 53715 USA
Thakkar, Tanvi D.
Litovsky, Ruth Y.
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Univ Wisconsin Madison, Waisman Ctr, Madison, WI 53715 USA
Univ Wisconsin Madison, Dept Commun Sci & Disorders, Madison, WI 53715 USA
Univ Wisconsin Madison, Dept Surg, Div Otolaryngol, Madison, WI USAUniv Wisconsin Madison, Waisman Ctr, Madison, WI 53715 USA
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Indiana Univ Purdue Univ, Off Vice Chancellor Res, Indianapolis, IN 46202 USAIndiana Univ Purdue Univ, Off Vice Chancellor Res, Indianapolis, IN 46202 USA
Chin, Steven B.
Bergeson, Tonya R.
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Indiana Univ Sch Med, Dept Otolaryngol Head & Neck Surg, Indianapolis, IN 46202 USAIndiana Univ Purdue Univ, Off Vice Chancellor Res, Indianapolis, IN 46202 USA
Bergeson, Tonya R.
Jennifer Phan
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Indiana Univ Sch Med, Dept Otolaryngol Head & Neck Surg, Indianapolis, IN 46202 USAIndiana Univ Purdue Univ, Off Vice Chancellor Res, Indianapolis, IN 46202 USA