Introduction
Hearing loss not only leads to restricted speech information input and understanding but also can alter speech output.1Speech intelligibility is an important aspect of speech-language output that allows a listener to understand what a speaker is saying. Therefore, speech intelligibility has even been considered to be the single most important practical index of oral language abilities for persons with hearing impairment.2 This positive outlook has been bolstered by sizable gains in speech intelligibility after children with hearing loss receive sensory aids at relatively young ages.3,4
Traditional speech intelligibility assessments are solely based on subjective judgments.5 Therefore, the accuracy of this assessment will strongly rely on the experience of each rater, which could affect the accuracy of evaluations. An automatic speech recognition (ASR) system could be used to predict speech intelligibility. The aim of this study was to compare the efficacy of an automatic speech recognition (ASR) system and the traditional method for evaluating speech intelligibility among children with hearing loss.