Current fitting patterns of different hearing aid technologies in school-aged children throughout the state of Ohio

Abstract

The present study sought to identify the current hearing aid technology fitting patterns of school-aged children throughout the state of Ohio in order to learn what types of hearing aid technology these children are wearing, to determine what the fitting patterns of these different hearing aid instruments are in various regions throughout the state and to compare Ohio state statistics to national sales statistics reported from hearing aid manufacturers throughout the United States. The previously stated objectives were accomplished by contacting educational audiologists working in both Ohio school systems and Special Educational Regional Resource Centers (SERRC Centers) located throughout the state of Ohio. These educational audiologists were asked to complete a survey regarding the hearing aid technology currently worn by children in their caseloads. Survey results from the present study showed that for the state of Ohio as a whole conventional analog technology is the most commonly fit hearing aid technology followed by digitally programmable analog hearing aid technology and then fully digital signal processing hearing aid technology. Furthermore, data analysis testing comparing the Ohio state hearing aid technology statistics obtained from this study to the national hearing aid sales statistics reported from the hearing industries association showed that a significant difference exists between the hearing aid technology fitting pattern identified for the state of Ohio and the hearing aid technology fitting pattern identified for the United States. The data results obtained from this study suggest that children who are utilizing hearing aids throughout the state of Ohio are greatly lagging behind the nation in technological advancement as it pertains to hearing aid amplification.