The aims of this study are to reveal patient compliance and satisfaction in hearing aid-prescribed adult population and to determine the relevant clinical factors. The study was designed retrospectively, and those patients who have been using hearing aid for at least 6 months were invited for evaluation. Demographical data, hearing aid type (digital vs analog), general satisfaction, and daily usage time were asked. Then, the Hearing Aid Satisfaction Questionnaire (HASQ) was applied to all patients which included visual analog scale (VAS)-based 10 questions about the effects of hearing aid on social communication, efficiency, cosmetics, life quality and cost. Totally 400 patients were included in the study. The HASQ was confirmed to be highly reliable by "Kaiser Meyer Olkin and Bartlett Sphericity" tests after exclusion of aid-cost question. There was a negative correlation between age and satisfaction, and a positive correlation between hearing aid usage time (years) and satisfaction (p < 0.05). There was no significant difference between mean HASQ scores regarding gender, employment status, hearing aid type and the site of hearing aid wearing. HASQ scores were significantly worse in pure sensorineural loss type, lower educational status, shorter daily usage time, but better in higher pure tone threshold levels (p < 0.05). Age, time of hearing aid usage daily, type of hearing impairment, the threshold of hearing and education were the factors affecting satisfaction. Regular daily usage of hearing aid should be encouraged in patients, since by this way aid usage and satisfaction may be improved.

Introduction Vestibular otolith function plays a major role in balance control. Objective To investigate the saccular and balance functions of children with Down syndrome (DS). Methods In total, 15 children with DS aged between 9 and 11 years were included. An age- and gender-matched control group (CG) composed of 15 normal participants was also included. The subjects with DS had trisomy 21, without hearing or organic problems, and they had independence in stance. The saccular function among the children with DS and among the controls was tested using air-conduction cervical vestibular-evoked myogenic potentials (cVEMPs). In addition, the static and dynamic balance statuses were evaluated using the following assessments; the Pediatric Balance Scale (PBS), the modified Clinical Test of Sensory Interaction on Balance (mCTSIB), the Romberg test, and the Timed Up and Go (TUG) test. Results In the present study, the results of the saccular function test showed that there was a significant difference between children with and without DS (p < 0.05). The DS subjects had significantly earlier N1 latancy and lower amplitude of the cVEMPs (< 70 μV) compared with the control subjects. The static-dynamic balance ability was statistically and significantly different in children with DS compared with the controls (p < 0.05). Conclusion These results revealed that saccular function seems to be affected in DS subjects. The dysfunction in static and dynamic balance abilities of the children with DS may be attributed to vestibular dysfunction as well as low gross motor skills. This knowledge should be taken into account when assessing motor performance in those subjects. Additional larger studies testing other dimensions of the vestibular system in children with DS are needed.

More than 250 million children (43%) under 5 years of age living in low-and middle-income countries are at risk of not reaching their optimal neurodevelopment. 1 The first years of life are critically important for cognitive, linguistic, social, emotional and motor development. 2 During this period, congenital hearing loss has a negative impact on development. The Joint Committee on Infant Hearing (JCIH) recommends that children should be screened for hearing loss by 1 month, diagnosed by 3

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