Comparison of severely and profoundly hearing-impaired children's amplification preferences with the NAL-RP and the DSL 3.0 prescriptions

Prompted by a recent paper in this journal, this communication compares the gain and frequency response preferred by a group of 21 severely and profoundly hearing-impaired children (37 test ears) to the NAL-RP and the DSL 3.0 hearing aid prescriptions. The results support the findings of Snik et al. that the NAL-RP procedure provides an adequate prescription of amplification on average. The individual discrepancies between prescribed and preferred characteristics imply that fine-tuning with an evaluation tool is necessary for some children. It is uncertain whether previous listening experience affects listeners' preferences, and it is suggested that further studies be carried out to address this issue.