Cantonese Dichotic Digit Test: Test Creation and Normative Values for Children and Adults

Abstract

Little standardized assessment material exists in Cantonese for the assessment of auditory processing disorder (APD) in children or in adults. The present study aimed to create and develop normative data for an APD test, the Cantonese Double Dichotic Digit test (CDDT). A dichotic digit test refers to two different digit stimuli that are presented to each ear simultaneously. It has been recommended to include this test within APD test batteries because it is sensitive to APD, easy and fast to administer, and not influenced by mild to moderate hearing loss. Normative data were collected from 40 young adult subjects, aged between 18 and 30 years, and 122 children aged between 6 and 11;11 years. Norms for seven different age subgroups for the right and left ear in the free-recall and directed- right and directed-left conditions were developed. For each age subgroup, two standard deviations below the mean are suggested as cutoff scores. Results were comparable to the findings of other studies of similar speech discrimination assessment material. The CDDT's test-retest reliability was high and this, combined with its administrative convenience, makes it a potentially attractive assessment procedure for cases with suspected APD.