Abstract

BOSCOLO, Cibele Cristina; COSTA, Maria da Piedade Rezende da; DOMINGOS, Camila Maria Pereira  and  PEREZ, Fabrícia Cristina. Avaliação dos benefícios proporcionados pelo AASI em crianças e jovens da faixa etária de 7 a 14 anos. Rev. bras. educ. espec. [online]. 2006, vol.12, n.02, pp.255-268. ISSN 1413-6538.

The presence of hearing loss can have serious consequences on speech development and learning. Personal sound amplification devices (hearing aids) are an important resource for hearing rehabilitation of the deaf are. To be well adapted, aids should supply benefits for users. It is essential to assess the benefits provided by the devices, by means of self-evaluation questionnaires. The present study aimed to verify the benefits provided by personal sound amplification devices by means of a questionnaire applied to child and adolescent users in the 7 to 14 year age range. Nineteen deaf subjects of both genders participated in the study. We were able to verify that 12 (63%) deaf subjects used their hearing aids everywhere they went, removing them only at bath time and bedtime; 5 (23%) reported they only used their devices at home and in the speech therapy. As to the benefits of using hearing aids in daily routine, 14 (73%) reported that this enhanced their hearing for television; 15 (78%) said they helped to hear the telephone or doorbell ringing; 12 (63%) could hear their parents calling their names better. In the school environment, it was verified that personal sound amplification devices promoted better reception of the teacher's enunciations when he/she was near the student. In social situations, 15 subjects (78%) reported that hearing aids made it easier to play with their friends, while 12 (63%) said that with aids they could hear their friends better; 16 (84%) could hear vehicles in the street, and 9 (47%) referred that they could hear a person speaking in noisy environments. Using the questionnaire enabled us to verify the benefits offered by personal sound amplification devices to children and young people who are deaf.

Keywords : Special Education; Deafness; Rehabilitation; Hearing.

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