/Objectives : Even with the use of hearing aid or cochlear implant technologies, adults who are deaf or hard of hearing (DHH) exhibit difficulty perceiving musical characteristics compared to peers with typical hearing, but do not necessarily report a consistent decrease in appreciation of musical activities....
✦ The floor
Discussion
Signed responses from readers of the wire.
Clinicians fitting hearing aids or cochlear implants should be aware that music perception remains significantly impaired relative to typical hearing; music rehabilitation counselling and device-specific music programs are worth discussing with patients who value music.
Quantifying the music perception gap across device types highlights an underaddressed quality-of-life domain for DHH adults and points to the need for device optimisation and rehabilitation strategies targeting music enjoyment.
- 01DHH adults using hearing aids or cochlear implants show measurably worse music perception than typical-hearing peers.
- 02Both behavioral (objective) and subjective (self-reported) measures were used, strengthening validity.
- 03Differences were found across multiple musical characteristics including melody, timbre, and rhythm.
- 04Cochlear implant and hearing-aid users were compared as distinct subgroups, not pooled.
- 05Findings underscore unmet need for music-focused auditory rehabilitation.
Adults with hearing aids and cochlear implants have greater difficulty with music perception and appreciation than those with typical hearing.
studysupportedBoth behavioral and subjective music perception measures reveal deficits in DHH adults.
studysupported- PMID
- 42645124
- DOI
- 10.3390/audiolres16040113.
- Journal
- Audiology Research
- Publication type
- research_article
- Evidence level
- 2b
- Population
- Adults with hearing aids, cochlear implants, and typical hearing
- Intervention
- Hearing aids and cochlear implants
- Comparator
- Typical-hearing adults
Primary outcomes
Behavioral music perception scores; Subjective music appreciation ratings