Maria Francisca Colella dos Santos

Auditory processing assessment in children with obstructive sleep apnea syndrome

INTRODUCTION The obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSAS) is a respiratory disorder that occurs during sleep and it is relatively common in children. AIM The goal of this paper is to verify if there is a relationship between the obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSAS) and auditory processing. METHODS In order to do that, three groups of children ranging in age from 5 to 11 were studied, including a normal group. Twenty subjects who made up the study group were submitted to ear, nose and throat (ENT) exams and to polysomnography (PSG), and were divided in two groups: GROUP I (RO) comprised of 10 children who presented oral breathing and displayed normal PSG, and GROUP II (SAS) comprised of 10 children who presented oral breathing and displayed abnormal PSG. Their performance was compared to the performance of the third group--GROUP III (REN) comprised of 10 children who did not refer ENT difficulties. All the subjects completed a basic audiometric assessment as well as an auditory processing diagnosis. RESULTS The analyses of the results revealed a statistically significant difference in ENT exams related to the turbinate and the palatine tonsils. Group II presented a higher incidence of turbinate hypertrophy levels II and III (p<0.001) and palatine tonsils hypertrophy grades III and IV (p 0.007). Regarding the auditory processing assessment, a statistically significant difference (p<0.001) was obtained in the dichotic digits test. Group II performed worse than group III. Also, for the non-verbal sequence memory test, Group II obtained a worse result (p<0.022) than Group I. CONCLUSION Subjects with OSAS obtained worse results in auditory processing tests.

Procedures for central auditory processing screening in schoolchildren

INTRODUCTION Central auditory processing screening in schoolchildren has led to debates in literature, both regarding the protocol to be used and the importance of actions aimed at prevention and promotion of auditory health. Defining effective screening procedures for central auditory processing is a challenge in Audiology. OBJECTIVE This study aimed to analyze the scientific research on central auditory processing screening and discuss the effectiveness of the procedures utilized. METHODS A search was performed in the SciELO and PUBMed databases by two researchers. The descriptors used in Portuguese and English were: auditory processing, screening, hearing, auditory perception, children, auditory tests and their respective terms in Portuguese. INCLUSION CRITERIA original articles involving schoolchildren, auditory screening of central auditory skills and articles in Portuguese or English. EXCLUSION CRITERIA studies with adult and/or neonatal populations, peripheral auditory screening only, and duplicate articles. After applying the described criteria, 11 articles were included. RESULTS At the international level, central auditory processing screening methods used were: screening test for auditory processing disorder and its revised version, screening test for auditory processing, scale of auditory behaviors, childrens auditory performance scale and Feather Squadron. In the Brazilian scenario, the procedures used were the simplified auditory processing assessment and Zaidans battery of tests. CONCLUSION At the international level, the screening test for auditory processing and Feather Squadron batteries stand out as the most comprehensive evaluation of hearing skills. At the national level, there is a paucity of studies that use methods evaluating more than four skills, and are normalized by age group. The use of simplified auditory processing assessment and questionnaires can be complementary in the search for an easy access and low-cost alternative in the auditory screening of Brazilian schoolchildren. Interactive tools should be proposed, that allow the selection of as many hearing skills as possible, validated by comparison with the battery of tests used in the diagnosis.

Avaliação Simplificada do Processamento Auditivo e questionário de auto percepção em crianças com e sem dificuldades escolares

Resumo O estudo teve como objetivo analisar os dados obtidos em um questionário de auto-percepção sobre as dificuldades auditivas de crianças com e sem dificuldades escolares, e comparar com o desempenho na Avaliação Simplificada do Processamento Auditivo(ASPA). A amostra constituiu-se de 40 crianças de 8 a 11 anos de uma escola da rede estadual de Campinas. A partir dos mresultados, foi possível concluir que o questionário de autopercepção pode ser considerado uma ferramenta confiavel e complementar para ser utilizada em uma bateria de triagem do processamento auditivo.