Hearing Rehabilitation of Adults With Auditory Processing Disorder: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Current Evidence-Based Interventions
Frontiers in Human Neuroscience
Crum, R., Chowsilpa, S., et al. (2024).
Frontiers in Human Neuroscience, 18, 1406916.
<div>This systematic review with meta-analysis investigates the effects of environmental modifications, auditory training, and compensatory strategies on the central auditory nervous system (CANS) and subjective hearing abilities in adults, 18 years and older, who have an auditory processing disorder (APD) diagnosis or who do not pass ≥ 1 central auditory test(s).</div>
No funding received
From database inception to December 13, 2023
<div>Studies with control groups and repeated measures of any design</div>
13 studies included in the qualitative review. 3 studies included in the meta-analysis.
<div>Interventions for APD lacked sufficient evidence to conduct meta-analyses. Specific interventions showed the following outcomes:</div>
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<li>Auditory training (AT) demonstrated mixed results on speech intelligibility in adults with APD (7 studies; Low to Moderate Quality Evidence). AT resulted in no significant improvement in subjective listening ability (1 study).</li>
<li>Low-gain hearing aids (LGHA) showed limited evidence of increased speech intelligibility in adults with APD and a history of traumatic brain injury (2 studies; Low Quality Evidence). When aided with LGHA, pariticpants reported significant improvements in subjective listening ability (2 studies).</li>
<li>Personal remote microphone systems (PRMS), or personal FM systems, increased speech intelligibility in adults with APD when aided (Standard Mean Difference=1.84; 3 studies; Low Quality Evidence). Participants reported significant improvements in subjective listening ability compared to unaided conditions (2 studies).</li>
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<div>Limitations of this review include the paucity of research, small sample sizes, potential publication bias, potential exclusion of relevant studies, and heterogeneity between studies. Additional research is needed to develop "gold standard" diagnostic criteria for APD, to control for APD characteristics and other confounding factors, and to investigate long-term outcomes.</div>
