Ottawa Researchers Lead International Team Focused On Improving Infant Hearing

Improved hearing for children is the goal of new research by a team of scientists led by Dr. André Marcoux at the University of Ottawa.

To see a hearing-impaired infant respond to her mother’s laugh for the first time is like witnessing a miracle; an Ottawa research team has launched a search to discover new ways to make that miracle happen more often.

University of Ottawa’s Dr. Andre Marcoux is leading an international team of scientists that is looking for innovative ways to improve both the design of infant hearing aids and the early diagnosis of hearing impairment among infants.

The team is creating a new state-of-the-art auditory testing laboratory thanks to a $126,351 grant from the McGuinty government’s Ontario Research Fund.

As Dr. Marcoux explains, the benefits to improving a child’s hearing go far beyond the joy of a mother and child. “Hearing properly is so important to an infant because it helps them to understand the world and learn how to speak,” he said. “By making a diagnosis of hearing impairment earlier and more accurately, and by developing better hearing aids designed specifically for children, fewer kids will fall through the cracks. The earlier we can identify a hearing problem, the better the chances of the child’s ability to develop normally and be a productive member of society.”

Two aspects to the project are now underway at the University of Ottawa by Dr. Marcoux and his colleagues Dr. Christian Giguère and Dr. Chantal Laroche.

The first study is designed to improve the diagnosis of hearing impairment in infants. “We have tests now but we need to improve their accuracy,” said Marcoux. “The challenge is that infants mature so quickly in their first few months that, if they respond differently to the same test, we need to be sure that we’re really seeing a change in hearing ability and not just an improvement in their physical ability to respond to the test.”

The second area of research focuses on developing better hearing aids for infants and children. There are now hearing aids available for infants as young as two or three months old. They are not only smaller in size than the adult versions, they also more closely respond to a child or infant’s needs. The new laboratory includes a specially designed acoustic chamber that can be reconfigured to replicate the sound qualities of virtually any environment such as a playground or classroom. Measurements gained through this chamber will help the team develop the next generation of digital hearing aids.

To help ensure their research results can translate into real world benefits, the team is working with Widex, a Danish company that is one of the world’s leaders in digital hearing aid technology. They are also collaborating with researchers in the U.S., Germany and India as well as here in Canada. The benefit of the international collaboration is that, “It opens the doors to finding the right people for the project,” said Marcoux. “Partnering with researchers in India, for example, is a compelling opportunity because it’s such a different world with a different perspective.  It gives us a chance to make sure what we develop can really work for any child in any environment.”