Music Training for Children with Sensorineural Hearing Loss Improves Speech-in-Noise Perception

Purpose: A growing body of evidence suggests that long-term music training provides benefits to auditory abilities for typical-hearing adults and children. The purpose of this study was to evaluate how music training may provide perceptual benefits (such as speech-in-noise, spectral resolution, and...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of speech, language, and hearing research language, and hearing research, 2020-06, Vol.63 (6), p.1990-2015
Main Authors: Lo, Chi Yhun, Looi, Valerie, Thompson, William Forde, McMahon, Catherine M
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Acoustics
Age
Assistive Technology
Auditory Discrimination
Auditory Perception
Auditory Training
Care and treatment
Children
Cochlear implants
Comparative analysis
Control Groups
Diagnosis
Education
Hearing aids
Hearing disorders
Hearing impaired children
Hearing Impairments
Hearing loss
Listening Comprehension
Longitudinal studies
Music
Music Appreciation
Music Education
Music Therapy
Musical performances
Noise
Outcomes of Treatment
Participation
Pediatrics
Pitch
Prosody
Sensorineural hearing loss
Speech
Speech perception
Speech perception in children
Study and teaching
Suprasegmentals
Tests, problems and exercises
Training
Transplants & implants
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Summary:Purpose: A growing body of evidence suggests that long-term music training provides benefits to auditory abilities for typical-hearing adults and children. The purpose of this study was to evaluate how music training may provide perceptual benefits (such as speech-in-noise, spectral resolution, and prosody) for children with hearing loss. Method: Fourteen children aged 6-9 years with prelingual sensorineural hearing loss using bilateral cochlear implants, bilateral hearing aids, or bimodal configuration participated in a 12-week music training program, with nine participants completing the full testing requirements of the music training. Activities included weekly group-based music therapy and take-home music apps three times a week. The design was a pseudorandomized, longitudinal study (half the cohort was wait-listed, initially serving as a passive control group prior to music training). The test battery consisted of tasks related to music perception, music appreciation, and speech perception. As a comparison, 16 age-matched children with typical hearing also completed this test battery, but without participation in the music training. Results: There were no changes for any outcomes for the passive control group. After music training, perception of speech-in-noise, question/statement prosody, musical timbre, and spectral resolution improved significantly, as did measures of music appreciation. There were no benefits for emotional prosody or pitch perception. Conclusion: The findings suggest even a modest amount of music training has benefits for music and speech outcomes. These preliminary results provide further evidence that music training is a suitable complementary means of habilitation to improve the outcomes for children with hearing loss.
ISSN:1092-4388
1558-9102
DOI:10.1044/2020_JSLHR-19-00391