# Automated Speech Intelligibility Assessment Using AI-Based Transcription in Children with Cochlear Implants, Hearing Aids, and Normal Hearing

## TL;DR

This study shows that AI can reliably assess speech clarity in young children with hearing implants or aids, matching human evaluations and offering a practical tool for monitoring speech development.

## Contribution

The study introduces a reliable AI-based method for assessing speech intelligibility in children with cochlear implants, hearing aids, and normal hearing.

## Key findings

- The AI model showed strong agreement with human listeners across all groups, with ICC values exceeding 0.9.
- Children with cochlear implants demonstrated better speech intelligibility than those with hearing aids.
- Less than 6% of sentences fell outside the 95% limits of agreement between AI and human transcriptions.

## Abstract

Background/Objectives: Speech intelligibility (SI) is a key indicator of spoken language development, especially for children with hearing loss, as it directly impacts communication and social engagement. However, due to logistical and methodological challenges, SI assessment is often underutilised in clinical practice. This study aimed to evaluate the accuracy and consistency of an artificial intelligence (AI)-based transcription model in assessing SI in young children with cochlear implants (CI), hearing aids (HA), or normal hearing (NH), in comparison to naïve human listeners. Methods: A total of 580 speech samples from 58 five-year-old children were transcribed by three naïve listeners and the AI model. Word-level transcription accuracy was evaluated using Bland–Altman plots, intraclass correlation coefficients (ICCs), and word error rate (WER) metrics. Performance was compared across the CI, HA, and NH groups. Results: The AI model demonstrated high consistency with naïve listeners across all groups. Bland–Altman analyses revealed minimal bias, with fewer than 6% of sentences falling outside the 95% limits of agreement. ICC values exceeded 0.9 in all groups, with particularly strong agreement in the NH and CI groups (ICCs > 0.95). WER results further confirmed this alignment and indicated that children with CIs showed better SI performance than those using HAs. Conclusions: The AI-based method offers a reliable and objective solution for SI assessment in young children. Its agreement with human performance supports its integration into clinical and home environments for early intervention and ongoing monitoring of speech development in children with hearing loss.