title: Speech perception in noise by children with cochlear implants.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Common wisdom suggests that listening in noise poses disproportionately greater difficulty for listeners with cochlear implants (CIs) than for peers with normal hearing (NH). The purpose of this study was to examine phonological, language, and cognitive skills that might help explain speech-in-noise abilities for children with CIs.
  
  
  METHODS
  Three groups of kindergartners (NH, hearing aid wearers, and CI users) were tested on speech recognition in quiet and noise and on tasks thought to underlie the abilities that fit into the domains of phonological awareness, general language, and cognitive skills. These last measures were used as predictor variables in regression analyses with speech-in-noise scores as dependent variables.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Compared to children with NH, children with CIs did not perform as well on speech recognition in noise or on most other measures, including recognition in quiet. Two surprising results were that (a) noise effects were consistent across groups and (b) scores on other measures did not explain any group differences in speech recognition.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Limitations of implant processing take their primary toll on recognition in quiet and account for poor speech recognition and language/phonological deficits in children with CIs. Implications are that teachers/clinicians need to teach language/phonology directly and maximize signal-to-noise levels in the classroom.
authors: The Ohio State University, Columbus, USA. amanda.caldwell@osumc.edu
authors: Amanda
authors: A
authors: Caldwell
authors: Susan
authors: S
authors: Nittrouer
mesh_terms: D001301:Audiometry, Pure-Tone; D002648:Child; D002663:Child Language; D019929:Cochlear Implantation / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D003071:Cognition; D004410:Dyslexia / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000534:rehabilitation; D005260:Female; D006319:Hearing Loss, Sensorineural / Q000503:physiopathology* / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D006801:Humans; D007804:Language Development; D008297:Male; D008570:Memory, Short-Term; D008962:Models, Theoretical; D009622:Noise; D010700:Phonetics; D059629:Signal-To-Noise Ratio; D013063:Speech Discrimination Tests; D013067:Speech Perception; D014825:Vocabulary