Research Article

Acceptable noise level in learning disordered children

Abstract

Background and Aim: Acceptable noise level (ANL) measures the amount of accepted background noise while listening to the story. In the current study, ANL was carried out in chil­dren with learning disability (LD) and compared with the results of normal children by using examiner- and self-adjusted methods.
Methods: Forty seven (25 male, 22 female) normal children with good and better educational background and 46 (27 male, 19 female) LD children ranging in age from 7-12 years old were participated. ANL was assessed using an ear-level loudspeaker in front of children. The differences of ANL, most comfortable level (MCL), and background noise level (BNL) between groups and their relationship between examiner- and self-adjusted procedures were investigated.
Results: Mean ANLs of LD children either in examiner- or self-adjusted methods (8.91±4.66 and 11.00±5.38, respectively) were worse than those of normal children (7.19±3.63 and 9.61±3.41, respectively). The difference between mean ANL of normal and LD children was statistically significant only for examiner-adjusted method (p=0.05). There were also significant differences in BNL between groups for examiner- and self-adjusted method (p<0.05). A strong positive correlation was found between examiner- and self-adjusted conditions for ANL, MCL, and BNL among groups (p<0.001).
Conclusion: ANL is clinically applicable in LD children. Moreover, LD children accept lower background noise; therefore modification of their listening environment is recommended. Because of a strong positive relationship between ANL in examiner- and self-adjusted pro­cedures, both methods can be implemented in different situations.

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IssueVol 27 No 2 (2018) QRcode
SectionResearch Article(s)
Keywords
Acceptable noise level children learning disorder examiner-adjusted method self-adjusted method
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How to Cite
1.
Koiek S, Pourbakht A, Mahdavi ME, Tahaei AA. Acceptable noise level in learning disordered children. Aud Vestib Res. 2018;27(2):86-92.