Potential Benefits of an Integrated Electric-Acoustic Sound Processor with Children: A Preliminary Report

Background: A number of published studies have demonstrated the benefits of electric-acoustic stimulation
(EAS) over conventional electric stimulation for adults with functional low-frequency acoustic
hearing and severe-to-profound high-frequency hearing loss. These benefits potentially include better
speech recognition in quiet and in noise, better localization, improvements in sound quality, better music
appreciation and aptitude, and better pitch recognition. There is, however, a paucity of published reports
describing the potential benefits and limitations of EAS for children with functional low-frequency acoustic
hearing and severe-to-profound high-frequency hearing loss.
Purpose: The objective of this study was to explore the potential benefits of EAS for children.
Research Design: A repeated measures design was used to evaluate performance differences obtained
with EAS stimulation versus acoustic- and electric-only stimulation.
Study Sample: Seven users of Cochlear Nucleus Hybrid, Nucleus 24 Freedom, CI512, and CI422 implants
were included in the study.
Data Collection and Analysis: Sentence recognition (assayed using the pediatric version of the AzBio
sentence recognition test) was evaluated in quiet and at three fixed signal-to-noise ratios (SNR) (0, 15,
and 110 dB). Functional hearing performance was also evaluated with the use of questionnaires, including
the comparative version of the Speech, Spatial, and Qualities, the Listening Inventory for Education
Revised, and the Children’s Home Inventory for Listening Difficulties.
Results: Speech recognition in noise was typically better with EAS compared to participants’ performance
with acoustic- and electric-only stimulation, particularly when evaluated at the less favorable
SNR. Additionally, in real-world situations, children generally preferred to use EAS compared to electric-only
stimulation. Also, the participants’ classroom teachers observed better hearing performance in the classroom
with the use of EAS.
Conclusions: Use of EAS provided better speech recognition in quiet and in noise when compared to
performance obtained with use of acoustic- and electric-only stimulation, and children responded favorably
to the use of EAS implemented in an integrated sound processor for real-world use.