Being a deaf student in a face mask world: Survey data from Italian university students

Article Audiology & Speech-Language Pathology

The effect of wearing face mask on speech intelligibility in listeners with sensorineural hearing loss and normal hearing sensitivity

Ana'am Alkharabsheh et al.

Summary: Wearing a face mask can affect word recognition in hearing-impaired individuals, with a greater impact observed in noisy conditions.

INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF AUDIOLOGY (2023)

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Review Nursing

Individuals with hearing impairment/deafness during the COVID-19 pandemic: A rapid review on communication challenges and strategies

Irene Mansutti et al.

Summary: This study summarizes the communication challenges faced by individuals with hearing impairment during the COVID-19 pandemic and proposes strategies to overcome these challenges. The main challenges identified include face mask use, physical and social distancing, and issues related to information, education, rehabilitation, and healthcare accessibility. The consequences of these challenges include social isolation, loneliness, lack of knowledge about prevention, and mental health issues. Strategies such as using transparent face masks, employing basic interaction skills, improving the availability of sign language interpreters, allowing the presence of family members, and teaching healthcare professionals sign language basics are recommended to mitigate these challenges.

JOURNAL OF CLINICAL NURSING (2023)

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Article Psychology, Multidisciplinary

Face Masks Impact Auditory and Audiovisual Consonant Recognition in Children With and Without Hearing Loss

Kaylah Lalonde et al.

Summary: This study examined the effects of different types of face masks on auditory and audiovisual speech recognition in children and adults with and without hearing loss. The results showed that all groups were similarly impacted by face masks, with hospital masks having the least impact under auditory-only conditions and transparent masks having less impact than opaque masks under audiovisual conditions. High-frequency attenuation and visual obstruction had the greatest impact on place perception.

FRONTIERS IN PSYCHOLOGY (2022)

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Article Neurosciences

Effect of face masks on speech perception in noise of individuals with hearing aids

Jung Ho Choi et al.

Summary: This study compared the effects of masks on speech perception in noise for hearing-impaired individuals and normal-hearing individuals, finding that hearing aids can partially offset the impact of masks on speech perception for the hearing-impaired.

FRONTIERS IN NEUROSCIENCE (2022)

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Article Audiology & Speech-Language Pathology

Listening Effort and Speech Perception Performance Using Different Facemasks

Lisa Lucks Mendel et al.

Summary: This study assessed the impact of eight different facemasks on speech perception and listening effort in individuals with normal hearing and hearing loss. The results showed that the type of mask and background noise levels significantly affected speech perception. No mask, KN95 mask, and surgical mask had the least impact on performance, while cloth masks posed a significant detriment. Decreased listening effort was associated with improved speech perception.

JOURNAL OF SPEECH LANGUAGE AND HEARING RESEARCH (2022)

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Article Audiology & Speech-Language Pathology

Evaluation of Noise Reduction Interventions in a School

Renata Falotico Taborda et al.

Summary: By implementing physical, organizational, and educational interventions aimed at reducing noise in schools, this study found significant reductions in noise levels, improvements in the signal-to-noise ratio, and a decrease in perceived annoyance among students. These interventions, including acoustic ceiling installation and educational activities, had a positive impact on short-term noise reduction in the school environment.

FOLIA PHONIATRICA ET LOGOPAEDICA (2021)

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Article Psychology, Multidisciplinary

Effects of Wearing Face Masks While Using Different Speaking Styles in Noise on Speech Intelligibility During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Hoyoung Yi et al.

Summary: The study found that in noisy environments, listeners performed worse when speakers wore transparent masks or disposable face masks compared to when no mask was worn. Listeners correctly identified more words in audiovisual presentations when clear speech was used. The combination of face masks and background noise negatively impacted speech intelligibility for listeners.

FRONTIERS IN PSYCHOLOGY (2021)

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Article Acoustics

The impact of face masks on the recall of spoken sentencesa)

Thanh Lan Truong et al.

Summary: The study found that wearing a face mask while speaking can significantly reduce the number of words recalled by listeners, possibly due to the increased processing demands of masks, leaving fewer resources for encoding speech in memory. The results have implications for policymakers during the COVID-19 pandemic in understanding the impact of face masks on oral communication.

JOURNAL OF THE ACOUSTICAL SOCIETY OF AMERICA (2021)

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Article Medicine, Research & Experimental

Influence of Protective Face Coverings on the Speech Recognition of Cochlear Implant Patients

Teresa G. Vos et al.

Summary: This study found that wearing face coverings can affect speech recognition in patients with hearing loss, with the N95 mask plus face shield condition showing the worst performance. It highlights the importance of balancing infection control measures with optimizing communication for patients with hearing loss, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic.

LARYNGOSCOPE (2021)

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Article Multidisciplinary Sciences

Effects of face masks on speech recognition in multi-talker babble noise

Joseph C. Toscano et al.

Summary: The study found that different types of masks have little impact on speech recognition at low levels of background noise, with similar accuracy rates. However, at higher levels of noise, the differences between masks become more pronounced, with certain masks showing significantly lower accuracy rates compared to no-mask conditions.

PLOS ONE (2021)

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Article Audiology & Speech-Language Pathology

Communicating During COVID-19: The Effect of Transparent Masks for Speech Recognition in Noise

Linda M. Thibodeau et al.

Summary: The study found that speech recognition in noise was significantly better with transparent masks compared to opaque masks, even for individuals with normal hearing, indicating visual cues from the talker's face can enhance auditory recognition.

EAR AND HEARING (2021)

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Article Multidisciplinary Sciences

Influence of surgical and N95 face masks on speech perception and listening effort in noise

Torsten Rahne et al.

Summary: Daily-life conversation is impacted by the use of face masks during the COVID-19 pandemic. Masks reduce speech perception ability, especially in noisy environments, and increase listening effort. Surgical masks reduce speech perception threshold by 1.6 dB, while N95 masks have a greater impact at 2.7 dB. Additionally, N95 masks significantly increase listening effort by 2.2 dB.

PLOS ONE (2021)

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Article Education & Educational Research

I Cannot See You-The Perspectives of Deaf Students to Online Learning during COVID-19 Pandemic: Saudi Arabia Case Study

Wajdi Aljedaani et al.

Summary: The COVID-19 pandemic has presented challenges to course delivery methods, particularly for deaf students. Issues such as internet access, lack of support, and inaccessible content from learning systems have been reported as challenges faced by deaf students during the sudden shift to online learning. Institutions should consider creating more accessible technology to serve individuals with diverse needs during the pandemic.

EDUCATION SCIENCES (2021)

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Article Audiology & Speech-Language Pathology