Related Experiment Videos
Mass hearing screening in kindergarten students
V A Flanary1, C J Flanary, J Colombo
1Medical College of Wisconsin, Children's Hospital of Wisconsin, Milwaukee 53226, USA.
Insights
Mass hearing screenings in public schools effectively identify conductive and sensorineural hearing losses in children. However, family follow-through for diagnosed hearing impairments remains a significant challenge.
Area of Science:
- Audiology
- Public Health
- Pediatric Medicine
Background:
- Early detection of hearing loss is crucial for child development.
- School-based hearing screenings are a primary method for identifying potential hearing impairments in children.
- Understanding the types of hearing loss detected is essential for effective intervention.
Purpose of the Study:
- To determine the types of hearing losses identified through mass hearing screenings in a public school system.
- To evaluate the effectiveness of school-based hearing screenings in detecting various forms of hearing impairment.
- To assess the follow-through rates of families after a child is identified with hearing loss.
Main Methods:
- A prospective observational study was conducted in a major metropolitan public school system.
- Kindergarten students failing initial hearing screenings underwent formal audiologic testing.
- Testing included pure tone audiometry, tympanometry, and speech discrimination tests.
Main Results:
- 140 students failed initial hearing screenings on two occasions.
- Of those tested formally, 43% had conductive hearing loss, 14% had sensorineural hearing loss, and 43% had normal hearing.
- A significant proportion of students identified with hearing loss did not have adequate follow-up care.
Conclusions:
- Mass hearing screenings are valuable for detecting transient conductive and significant sensorineural hearing losses in school-aged children.
- The study highlights a critical gap in family engagement and follow-through for identified hearing issues.
- Improving the follow-up process is essential to ensure children receive necessary audiological care and intervention.
Objective:
To determine the types of hearing losses identified by mass hearing screenings in the public school system.
Design:
Prospective observational.
Participants:
Students enrolled in kindergarten in the public school system.
Setting:
Major metropolitan area.
Main Outcome Measures:
(1) hearing screening tests performed by speech pathologists using an audiometer in a quiet room; (2) formal audiologic testing including pure tone audiometry, tympanograms, speech discrimination, and acoustic impedance testing in a sound proof booth.
Results:
140 students failed hearing screening on two separate occasions; 91(65%) underwent formal audiologic testing at Milwaukee Public School, 43% demonstrated conductive hearing losses, 14% demonstrated sensorineural losses and 43% demonstrated normal hearing.
Conclusion:
Mass hearing screening in the school system (1) is useful for detecting transient conductive hearing losses, (2) detects a significant number of sensorineural hearing losses and (3) has a very poor follow-through by the families of those students identified with hearing loss through the screening program.