Evaluation of simplified Arabic matrix test in children with normal hearing.

OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the simplified version of the Arabic matrix test in individuals with normal hearing to derive reference ranges for future measurements with the test material. METHODS: The test was conducted in 80 native Arabic individuals (20 adults and 60 children across different age groups between 5-10 years) from November 2020 to Mar 2023. Evaluation measurements were conducted in adults and children to derive the reference psychometric functions and assess the training effect. The test list equivalence was verified only in the adults group. RESULTS: The reference ranges for speech-intelligibility in noise for 80% thresholds or speech-recognition threshold (SRT80) were as follows: -0.8 ± 2.4 dB signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) (Group 1; 5-6 years), -2.4 ± 2.5 dB SNR (Group 2; 7-8 years) and -2.9 ± 2.3 dB SNR (Group 3; 9-10 years). CONCLUSION: The study demonstrated an influence of age on the measured word recognition performance in children, highlighting the test's suitability for this population. The reliability of the test was 1.1 dB for 80% threshold and 1.4 dB for 50% threshold. With promising results, this test can be used as a new tool in speech audiometry in audiological diagnostics and management with special focus on modern standard Arabic for children.