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Published on: January 23, 2017
The Colorado Newborn Hearing Screening Project: effects on speech and language development for children with hearing
C Yoshinaga-Itano1, D Coulter, V Thomson
1University of Colorado, Boulder, S.L.H.S.-Campus Box 409, Boulder, CO 80309-0409, USA.
Insights
Newborn hearing screening significantly improves speech and language development in children with bilateral hearing loss. Early detection through universal newborn hearing screening positively impacts language, vocabulary, and speech intelligibility.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Audiology
- Developmental Pediatrics
- Speech-Language Pathology
Background:
- Bilateral hearing loss affects speech and language development.
- Newborn hearing screening aims for early detection and intervention.
- Variability exists in screening program implementation across hospitals.
Purpose of the Study:
- To compare speech and language development in children with bilateral hearing loss based on newborn hearing screening status.
- To evaluate the impact of universal newborn hearing screening on language acquisition and speech production.
Main Methods:
- Study included 50 children (25 matched pairs) aged 9-61 months with bilateral hearing loss.
- Statistical analyses included t-tests, analysis of covariance, chi-squared, and Wilcoxon signed rank tests.
- Data sources included standardized inventories, independent ratings, phonological transcripts, and videotaped language samples.
Main Results:
- Newborn hearing screening positively correlated with expressive/receptive language scores (p < 0.001) and vocabulary (p < 0.001).
- Screening was linked to improved speech intelligibility (p = 0.015), consonant production (p < 0.01), and word diversity (p < 0.01).
Conclusions:
- Hospital-based newborn hearing screening programs show a positive association with language and speech outcomes.
- Early identification via screening supports better language and speech performance in deaf and hard-of-hearing children.
- Universal newborn hearing screening is crucial for optimizing developmental trajectories in at-risk infants.
Objective:
To compare the speech and language development of children with bilateral hearing loss and normal cognition who were born in hospitals with universal newborn hearing screening to that of their peers who were born in hospitals without this screening program.
Study Design:
Subjects for the major analyses are 50 Colorado children (25 matched pairs) from 9 to 61 months old who are participants in a study of the development of children birth to six with bilateral hearing loss. Analyses included parametric dependent t-tests and analysis of covariance, nonparametric chi-squared and Wilcoxon signed rank tests, descriptive statistics and odds ratios.
Results:
Newborn screening programs for hearing loss are positively related to scores in expressive and receptive language (p < 0.001) and vocabulary production (p < 0.001) on standardized inventories; speech intelligibility (p = 0.015) from independent ratings; number of different simple consonants (p < 0.01) and consonant blends (p = 0.026) from phonological transcripts; and total number of intelligible words (p < 0.01) and number of different words produced (p < 0.01) from computer analysis of videotaped language samples.
Conclusion:
Hospital-based newborn hearing screening programs are positively related to language and speech performance for children in early intervention programs who are deaf and hard of hearing.
