The listening in spatialized noise-sentences test (LISN-S): test-retest reliability study

The objective of the study was to collect data on the Listening in Spatialized Noise - Sentences Test (LISN-S (R); Cameron & Dillon, 2006) from a group of children with normal hearing, over two test sessions, to determine test-retest reliability. The LISN-S produces a three-dimensional auditory environment under headphones, and is presented using a personal computer. Speech reception threshold (SRT) is determined for target sentences presented in competing speech that is manipulated in respect to location (0 degrees versus +/- 90 degrees azimuth) and/ or the vocal identity of the speaker/s of the stories (same as, or different to, the speaker of the target sentences). Forty-six children aged five to eleven years took part in the study. Mean changes in performance on retest on the LISN-S conditions and advantage measures ranged from 0.1 dB to 1.1 dB. Reliability (r) ranged from 0.3 to 0.8. All correlations were significant (p < 0.05). Across the range of performance measures, critical differences for test score improvements ranged from 2.5 dB to 4.4 dB, making this test suitable for detecting improvements in performance in an individual child diagnosed with central auditory processing disorder following a period of auditory compensation (such as an FM system), or training.