Detection and Attention for Auditory, Visual, and Audiovisual Speech in Children with Hearing Loss.
Susan Jerger, Markus F Damian, Cassandra Karl and 1 others
PMID 31592903WHAT IT FOUND
Children with hearing loss detected audiovisual speech faster and with fewer attentional lapses than auditory speech alone.
This benefit was larger than in normal-hearing peers. Visual cues help these children process speech more efficiently, particularly when auditory input is degraded.
Key findings
01Children with hearing loss showed faster detection of audiovisual speech compared to auditory speech for both static and dynamic faces.
02Children with hearing loss benefited more from audiovisual input than normal-hearing children, showing larger reductions in attentional lapses.
03Degree of hearing loss did not influence detection or attention results; children with poorer hearing performed similarly to those with better hearing.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for SLPs
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What it does not show
The study used a single nonsense syllable (/buh/), which may not reflect processing of complex conversational speech. Only 13 trials per condition were administered per child due to testing time constraints, though robust analysis methods were used. Some slower responses may have reflected motivation rather than attentional lapses, although testers worked to maintain engagement. The group with hearing loss had heterogeneous hearing levels and device use, though degree of loss did not statistically influence the primary outcomes.
Declared interests
The research was supported by the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders and the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development. The authors declared no conflicts of interest.
The easy way to misread this
Do not assume that dynamic facial articulation is required to gain an audiovisual benefit in children with hearing loss. This study found that static faces also improved detection and reduced attentional lapses for this group, unlike in normal-hearing children who only benefited from dynamic faces.