The relationship between audiological findings and articulation skills in individual with down syndrome

Filiz DÖNMEZ, The Relationship Between Audiological Findings and Articulation Skills in Individual with Down Syndrome, Başkent University Institute of Health Sciences, Audiology Speech and Voice Disorders Program Master Thesis, 2018 AIM: In this study, it was aimed to determine articulation skills by comparing pure tone audiometry, tympanometry and multifrequency tympanometry values of children with Down syndrome to those of normal developing children. It is aimed to determine the audiological findings specific to Down Syndrome and to investigate the effect of these findings on speech voices. In addition; age, gender, pure audio average, multifrequency tympanometry values were examined and it was researched whether these findings affect articulation skills. MATERIAL & METHOD: 19 patients who were diagnosed as Down Syndrome between the ages of 6 and 12 in the Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Başkent University and 21 voluntary children with no hearing and speech impairment were included in the study. Both groups were subjected to pure sound audiometry, tympanometry, multifrequency tympanometry and the Ankara Articulation Test. Obtained values were compared between two groups. FINDINGS: Pure audio averages and articulation skills for both ears of children with Down Syndrome were significantly lower than control group (p<0, 05). The pure tone average value of the study group was found 14.53 dB for the right ear and 12.74 dB for the left ear. It was found that the control group had a right ear average of 2.95 dB and a left ear average of 3.14 dB. According to the Ankara Articulation Test scores, only 1 child in the study group was at the level of their own age, while the rest of the children did not appear in their age range. All children in the control group achieved appropriate scores for their age. There was no significant difference between multifrequency tympanometry values and articulation skills between the two groups (p>0, 05). Additionally, there was a significant difference for pure tone audiometry in all frequencies between the two groups, statistically significant results were obtained between the two groups in tympanometry and acoustic reflex tests (p<0, 05). RESULTS: Audiological findings are a factor which affects speech sounds for children with Down syndrome. The common hearing loss and tympanum pathologies in these children greatly affect children's speech intelligibility. The use of multifrequency tympanometry, which is also advantageous in many respects, is not common in Down syndrome and the number of studies is very limited. For this reason, there is not enough data yet. In this respect, ear-nose-throat examination and audiologic tests are recommended to children with Down Syndrome more frequently since the young age. Key Words: Down Syndrome, multi-frequency tympanometry, middle ear, pure tone audiometry, articulation disorders.