Assessment of Speech Perception and Listening Effort Through Mobile Phone in Pediatric Cochlear Implant Users

Abstract

The present study evaluates communication ability during conversions over mobile phones, as well as speech perception and listening effort, in older children with cochlear implants. The objectives of the studies were to assess the self-reported subjective rating of perception through a mobile phone; to compare the word recognition scores between mobile phone-processed speech (MPPS) and unprocessed speech in children with CI in quiet and in +5 dB SNR, and compare the listening effort (LE) exerted while listening to MPPS and unprocessed speech in children with CI in quiet and in +5 dB SNR, using dual-task paradigm. The data were collected from 20 children with CIs, in the age range of 10-18 years. A questionnaire was administered to the children or their parents to evaluate everyday telephone usage; speech perception was assessed using both MPPS and unprocessed speech in both quiet and noise. Further, a dual–task paradigm was used to assess listening effort. The Wilcoxon signed rank test was used to compare the scores between unprocessed speech and MPPS. The results from the questionnaire indicated that 60 % of the children could initiate phone calls and 60 % began using mobile phones two years post-implantation. Speech perception score and LE were significantly better for unprocessed speech than MPPS in both quiet and noisy conditions. These findings suggest that children with CI are potentially capable of using mobile phones following CI surgery; however, speech understanding over the mobile phones remains a challenge.