Undistorted and filtered speech audiometry in children with normal hearing.

Undistorted and filtered speech tests were carried out in 140 test subjects with normal hearing acuity ranging in age from 4 to 19 years. Routine adult word lists were used in all tests. The intelligibility of undistorted speech rose markedly in the age groups from 4 to 9 years and correspondingly in the filtered speech test up to 11 years, taking the group 16-19 years as basis of reference. According to these results a speech discrimination test can be made in childhood with the same methods as in adults, if the norms are taken into account. In the filtered speech test the binaural test result and the monaural discrimination ability of the left ear were significantly better than the monaural test results for the right ear up to the age of 12-13 years.