Impactos da perda auditiva unilateral nas habilidades auditivas de crianças usuárias de dispositivos eletrônicos

Abstract

Introduction: Unilateral hearing loss in children (UHL) is characterized by intact hearing in one ear and hearing loss in the contralateral ear, and can significantly interfere with the child's auditory, cognitive, and communicative development. This condition leads to difficulties in auditory skills, such as sound localization, speech perception in quiet and noisy environments, spatial hearing, and cortical reorganization mechanisms resulting from auditory deprivation. Objective: To analyze the impacts of UHL on the auditory skills of children who use electronic devices. Method: This is an integrative review, of an exploratory and qualitative nature, carried out in the PubMed and BVS databases, with articles published between 2021 and 2025, in Portuguese and English. The descriptors "plasticity neuronal", "unilateral hearing loss", "cochlear implant" and "hearing aids" were used. Results: Pre-established inclusion and exclusion criteria were applied, resulting in 15 selected articles after analysis of 448 references. The methodological quality of the studies was assessed using the MINORS scale. Conclusion: UHL impacts auditory skills, especially sound localization, spatial hearing, and speech perception. These impairments result from the absence of binaural cues and the reorganization of central auditory pathways. The use of electronic devices, such as hearing aids, Contralateral Routing of Signal (CROS), Bone Conduction Devices (BCDs) and Cochlear Implant (IC), influences these skills differently, with IC being the most effective in binaural stimulation