Reasonable expectations for benefit from hearing instruments can be inferred from which score?

The benefit one can expect from hearing instruments can indeed be inferred from the Speech Reception Threshold (SRT) or Word Recognition (WR) score. The Word Recognition score specifically reflects how well a person can identify and repeat words presented at a certain level above their hearing threshold. A higher WR score suggests that the individual has a better understanding of speech sounds, which can correlate with better performance with hearing aids.

This measure gives insight into how much assistance the individual may need from a hearing instrument, as well as how effectively the hearing aid might improve their ability to understand speech in various listening situations. In essence, the WR score plays a crucial role in the selection and fitting of hearing aids, predicting the level of benefit a person may derive from them, especially in real-world environments where understanding speech is essential.

Other measures, like the SII (Speech Intelligibility Index) or the Spondee Score, while relevant, do not directly assess a person's word recognition capabilities in the same way and might focus more on overall intelligibility or specific types of stimuli rather than the comprehensive understanding needed for daily communication.