The Desired Sensation Level prescription
The Desired Sensation Level (DSL) Method, developed by Seewald and colleagues, became available as the first software program to assist with hearing aid fitting for young children in 1991. DSL formulae version 3.1 worked with linear hearing aids and included a prescription for hearing aid output limiting (Seewald, Ross, & Spiro, 1985; Seewald, 1991). Similar to the NAL-NL formulae, Seewald sought to prescribe a comfortable level of speech that was associated with maximum speech sound recognition performance in children (based on studies by Erber & Witt, 1977; Kamm, Dirks, & Mickey, 1977; Macrae, 1986; Pascoe, 1978; Pascoe, 1988). These early versions of DSL incorporated children’s ear canal acoustics and child-friendly verification procedures.
Contact
The DSL Method and Research
Our research on the DSL Method is supported by a wide range of laboratories at the National Centre for Audiology, Western University.
Our labs are located at: The National Centre for Audiology Western University Elborn College 1201 Western Road London, Ontario, Canada N6G 1H1 Industry
For licensing and verification, please email us at dsl@nca.uwo.ca.