Speech intelligibility (SI) tests under realistic acoustic scenarios are complex tasks to perform. Optimal acoustics, in terms of reverberation and noise, are thus needed. This is particularly true in the presence of young hard-of-hearing (HoH) children equipped with cochlear implants who need speech to be highly intelligible to learn. During the COVID-19 pandemic starting in early 2020, wearing face masks became common to avoid the spread of infection, mainly impacting the increasingly challenging task of listening for HoH listeners. This study investigated the influence of different types of face masks on speech intelligibility and listening difficulty under competitive noise scenarios. Fourteen children with cochlear implants were involved, as well as six children with typical hearing. Three types of face masks with different acoustic, filtration, and breathability characteristics were considered; three signal-to-noise ratios (SNR) of +10 dB, +5 dB, and 0 dB were used. As expected, lower SNRs corresponded to lower speech intelligibility, and SI without a mask was similar to that obtained with a mask at the lowest acoustic attenuation, albeit with a low filtration efficiency. These preliminary outcomes help improve speech communication strategies in classrooms to support optimal listening conditions.

Challenges for Children with Cochlear Implants in Everyday Listening Scenarios: The Competitive Effect of Noise and Face Masks on Speech Intelligibility / Puglisi, GIUSEPPINA EMMA; Di Iulio, Michele; Bottalico, Pasquale; Murgia, Silvia; Consolino, Patrizia; Spadola Bisetti, Massimo; Pittà, Giuseppe; Shtrepi, Louena; Astolfi, Arianna. - In: APPLIED SCIENCES. - ISSN 2076-3417. - 13:15(2023). [10.3390/app13158715]

Challenges for Children with Cochlear Implants in Everyday Listening Scenarios: The Competitive Effect of Noise and Face Masks on Speech Intelligibility

GIUSEPPINA EMMA PUGLISI;Pasquale Bottalico;Silvia Murgia;Louena Shtrepi;Arianna Astolfi
2023

Abstract

Speech intelligibility (SI) tests under realistic acoustic scenarios are complex tasks to perform. Optimal acoustics, in terms of reverberation and noise, are thus needed. This is particularly true in the presence of young hard-of-hearing (HoH) children equipped with cochlear implants who need speech to be highly intelligible to learn. During the COVID-19 pandemic starting in early 2020, wearing face masks became common to avoid the spread of infection, mainly impacting the increasingly challenging task of listening for HoH listeners. This study investigated the influence of different types of face masks on speech intelligibility and listening difficulty under competitive noise scenarios. Fourteen children with cochlear implants were involved, as well as six children with typical hearing. Three types of face masks with different acoustic, filtration, and breathability characteristics were considered; three signal-to-noise ratios (SNR) of +10 dB, +5 dB, and 0 dB were used. As expected, lower SNRs corresponded to lower speech intelligibility, and SI without a mask was similar to that obtained with a mask at the lowest acoustic attenuation, albeit with a low filtration efficiency. These preliminary outcomes help improve speech communication strategies in classrooms to support optimal listening conditions.
2023
File in questo prodotto:
File Dimensione Formato  
applsci-13-08715.pdf

accesso aperto

Tipologia: 2a Post-print versione editoriale / Version of Record
Licenza: Creative commons
Dimensione 1.57 MB
Formato Adobe PDF
1.57 MB Adobe PDF Visualizza/Apri
Pubblicazioni consigliate

I documenti in IRIS sono protetti da copyright e tutti i diritti sono riservati, salvo diversa indicazione.

Utilizza questo identificativo per citare o creare un link a questo documento: https://hdl.handle.net/11583/2986586