Hearing aids: expectations and satisfaction of people with an intellectual disability, a descriptive pilot study.
Adults with mild-moderate ID can rate hearing-aid satisfaction if you give them a ultra-simple picture survey.
01Research in Context
What this study did
Fullana et al. (2007) asked adults with mild-moderate intellectual disability about their hearing aids.
They used simple pictures and short questions. Carers helped with cleaning and battery changes.
The team wanted to know if people with ID could tell us what they expected and if they liked the aid.
What they found
Adults could answer when the form was short and clear.
They still needed carers for daily use and repairs.
The study was small and only described what happened, no numbers on success.
How this fits with other research
Richman et al. (2001) found one in five Dutch adults with ID already had hearing loss that no one knew about. Fullana et al. (2007) picked up where that left off: once loss is found, can clients tell us if the fix feels good?
Moss et al. (2009) later showed systematic screening pushes deaf-blindness detection from 4 % to 21 %. That larger count makes A et al.’s point even more urgent—more people will soon get aids and need simple satisfaction tools.
Savvas et al. (2025) now give us an objective ear test for outreach settings. Pair that test with A et al.’s short picture form and you can both find loss and hear how the aid feels, even when clients can’t do a full booth exam.
Why it matters
You can ask clients with mild-moderate ID about hearing-aid comfort—just keep the survey to a few pictures and one idea per page. Add carer training for daily care and you close the loop from detection to happy use.
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02At a glance
03Original abstract
BACKGROUND: In spite of an increased risk of hearing impairment in persons with an intellectual disability (ID), rehabilitation with hearing aids often fails. We performed a descriptive pilot study with the following study questions: 1 Do comparable elements as in the general population contribute to expectations of and satisfaction with hearing aids in adults with mild or moderate IDs? 2 To what extent do adults with an ID depend on carers in use and maintenance of hearing aids? STUDY POPULATION: 16 adults with a mild or moderate ID and a recent diagnosis of hearing impairment. Method: information by means of specially designed booklets; semi-structured interviews prior to hearing aid fitting and 6 months afterwards. ANALYSIS: descriptive. RESULTS: In total, 14/16 participants were able to give reliable answers. Most were aware of their hearing loss and familiar with reasons for hearing aids. A minority expressed positive expectations. Some expressed explicit wishes on the looks of hearing aids. All satisfaction domains as described for the general population could be recognized. Most participants were partially or totally dependent on carers in use and maintenance of hearing aids. CONCLUSIONS: Adults with ID may have explicit ideas and wishes about hearing aids and, if specifically asked, are capable of expressing these. Given information should be checked and repeated. In satisfaction with hearing aids, comparable elements may play a role as in the general population: benefit, cosmetics, sound quality/acoustics, comfort/ease of use, and service delivery. These findings, however, are from a small-scale study. Additional research is necessary to find out whether they are applicable more generally.
Journal of intellectual disability research : JIDR, 2007 · doi:10.1111/j.1365-2788.2007.00952.x