Developed by Australia's renowned National Acoustic Laboratories (NAL) and distributed exclusively by Phonak, LiSN-S will be the first publicly available tool of its kind, as the system uses full sentences of speech to identify the problems children can face when they are not able to use the spatial information in sound.
Offered as a combined hardware and software package, LiSN-S comprises a proprietary PC software program, special headphones and a USB-attachable PC sound card. Once installed, this system employs advanced mathematical algorithms to create a virtual three-dimensional acoustic space under the headphones.
Within this space a hearing professional can simulate different speech environments, with target and distracter voices competing for the child's attention.
By asking a child to repeat the sentences spoken by the target voice, the audiologist is then able to accurately assess the child's ability to identify target speech in such challenging situations, like those that a child might encounter in the classroom.
Crucially for busy audiologists, LiSN-S is not only accurate but the system is also quick and easy to administer;the entire single-patient test takes just 20 minutes and crystal clear results are provided in easy-to-print document format.
LiSN-S is highly sensitive, scientifically robust, and thanks to its high test-retest reliability can easily be used to determine whether a child's listening skills have improved after some form of intervention. Norms already exist for children aged from 6 years through to 11 years, 11 months.
"With the launch of LiSN-S we will offer audiologists a completely new way of testing childrens' auditory skills," commented Evert Dijkstra, CEO of Phonak Communications AG. "National Acoustic Laboratories has developed a fantastically accurate, reliable and easy-to-use system that we are privileged to be associated with."
"We see LiSN-S as a breakthrough in the acoustic assessment of children, and we are confident our close partnership with Phonak will ensure audiologists quickly learn about and can benefit from this unique diagnostic system," said Harvey Dillon Ph.D., Director of Research at National Acoustic Laboratories.
Dr Dillon also added, "The test's inventor, Dr Sharon Cameron, has applied the highest standards of scientific rigor in designing and validating LiSN-S. I think it is a model for how tests in this area should be developed."
LiSN-S will be launched into the following markets in Northern Spring 2009:
- USA and Canada (U.S. English only)
- New Zealand and Australia (Australian English only).
About Phonak Communications AG
Phonak Communications AG, a subsidiary of the Sonova Group, has been specializing in the development, design, production and distribution worldwide of ultra miniaturized wireless systems since 1992. By combining its expertise in hearing technology with ongoing research at the highest level, Phonak Communications AG has succeeded in making substantial advances in the field of wireless communication systems from its development and production base in Switzerland.
For more information about Phonak, please visit https://www.phonak.com/ or the Phonak Web Channel on Audiology Online.
