Relative and Absolute Test-Retest Reliability of Several Persian Auditory Processing Tests for Dichotic Listening and Recognition of Speech-In-Noise in Normal Children Aged 6-12 Years

Assessment of auditory processing in children is performed via special tests with confirmed sensitivity. For any adapted or developed test, there should be evidences to demonstrate acceptable test-retest reliability. Recently, two dichotic listening and two recognition of speech-in-noise tests of auditory processing have been developed in Persian language. The present study aimed to assess test-retest reliability of these tests in normal children.

The present observational and analytic study was performed on 40 children, aged 6-12 years old, selected from two elementary schools in Tehran. Inclusion criteria were right-handedness, normal peripheral hearing sensitivity (

The mean score of FARDIN and PARWIN did not show a significant difference between tests and retest sessions. Dichotic listening tests scores showed a significant improvement in retest session. Intra-class correlations for tests of recognition of speech-in-noise and dichotic listening tests were 0.6-0.65 and 0.6-0.9, respectively. FARDIN and PPCW showed higher absolute reliability compared with PARWIN and PPCS tests, respectively.

Although children' performance for dichotic tests in retest session was slightly better, it seems that auditory processing tests used in the current study have adequate test-retest reliability in normal children.