A mobile game app for adaptive assessment of pitch discrimination in children with different hearing ability

Recent advancements in audiological testing and rehabilitation prioritize utmost personalization and minimal stress in patients, especially the young ones. Hearing health assessments integrate innovative approaches, emphasizing ecological listening scenarios and patient engagement. Driven by these principles, a mobile application tailored for pitch discrimination in children has been designed. The app implements intuitive game mechanics on a captivating graphical interface and harnesses machine learning algorithms to adapt the sound pressure levels to individual comfort levels. It utilizes simple yet effective acoustic stimuli obtained from second-order digital resonators, ensuring a more ecological approach. The pitch discrimination threshold is obtained with adaptive psychometric techniques to guarantee reliable and faster measurements. Preliminary qualitative evaluations involving normal hearing and single-sided deaf with cochlear implant children yield promising outcomes. The resulting perceptual thresholds align with established literature, envisioning the app’s efficacy in delivering accurate assessments. The presented tool paves the way for the use of gameplay in young hearing-impaired individuals’ rehabilitation after treatment with cochlear implants.