Listening Difficulties in Children With Normal Audiograms: Relation to Hearing and Cognition.
Lauren Petley, Lisa L Hunter, Lina Motlagh Zadeh and 5 others
PMID 34261857WHAT IT FOUND
Children with listening difficulties but normal hearing scores showed broad deficits in cognition and auditory processing compared to typically developing peers.
Cognitive factors like vocabulary and attention switching were strong predictors of listening problems, alongside specific auditory measures.
Key findings
01Children with listening difficulties performed significantly worse than typically developing peers on most auditory and cognitive tests.
02A regression model using SCAN-3:C composite, LiSN-S Talker Advantage, NIH Picture Vocabulary, and NIH Dimensional Change Card Sort scores explained 42% of the variance in parent-reported listening skills.
03The subgroup of children with a formal diagnosis of APD had lower scores on verbal cognitive tests than those with listening difficulties but no diagnosis.
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 cross-sectional design, so it cannot determine causality or the direction of effects. Attrition and updates to testing procedures meant sample sizes varied across different assessments. The typically developing group scored higher than normative samples on several tests, which may affect generalizability.
Declared interests
The study was supported by the National Institutes of Health. No specific conflicts of interest regarding commercial sponsors were declared in the text.
The easy way to misread this
Do not assume that auditory processing tests alone can diagnose the cause of listening difficulties. The study found that cognitive factors like vocabulary and attention switching were strong predictors of listening problems, meaning a child could have significant listening difficulties due to cognitive issues despite normal hearing and auditory processing test results.