Spyridakou, C; (2015) Characterisation of disordered auditory processing in adults who present to audiology with hearing difficulties in presence of normal hearing thresholds: Correlation between auditory tests and symptoms. Doctoral thesis , UCL (University College London).

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Abstract

The diagnosis of auditory processing disorder (APD) remains controversial. Quantifying symptoms in individuals with APD by using validated questionnaires may help better understand the disorder and inform appropriate diagnostic evaluation. Aims: This study was aimed at characterising the symptoms in APD and correlating them with the results of auditory processing (AP) tests. Methods: Phase 1: Normative data of a speech-in-babble test, to be used as part of the APD test battery, were collected for 69 normal volunteers aged 20–57 years. Phase 2: Sixty adult subjects with hearing difficulties and normal audiogram and 38 healthy age-matched controls completed three validated questionnaires (Amsterdam Inventory for Auditory Disability; Speech, Spatial and Qualities of Hearing Scale; hyperacusis questionnaire) and underwent AP tests, including dichotic digits, frequency and duration pattern, gaps-in-noise, speech-in-babble and suppression of otoacoustic emissions by contralateral noise. The subjects were categorised into the clinical APD group or clinical non- APD group depending on whether they met the criterion of two failed tests. The questionnaire scores in the three groups were compared. Phase 3: The questionnaire scores were correlated with the APD test results in 58/60 clinical subjects and 38 of the normal subjects. Results: Phase 1: Normative data for the speech-in-babble test afforded an upper cut-off mean value of 4.4 dB for both ears Phase 2: Adults with APD presented with hearing difficulties in quiet and noise; difficulties in localising, recognising and detecting sounds and hyperacusis with significantly poorer scores compared to clinical non- APD subjects and normal controls. Phase 3: Weak to moderate correlations were noted among the scores of the three questionnaires and the APD tests. Correlations were the strongest for the gaps-in-noise, speech-in-babble, dichotic digit tests with all three questionnaires. Conclusions: The three validated questionnaires may help identify adults with normal hearing who need referral for APD assessment.

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