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Unilateral sensorineural hearing impairment in childhood: analysis of 31 consecutive cases
1Department of Phoniatrics/Pedaudiology, Georg-August University, Göttingen, Germany. ckiese@med.uni-goettingen.de
Insights
Children with unilateral sensorineural hearing impairment (USNHI) showed normal non-verbal intelligence and no significant linguistic delays, despite a slight delay in two-word utterances. Most children accepted their hearing aids, indicating positive outcomes for USNHI management.
Area of Science:
- Pediatrics
- Audiology
- Developmental Psychology
Background:
- Unilateral sensorineural hearing impairment (USNHI) affects children, necessitating understanding of its impact on development.
- Early identification and intervention are crucial for managing hearing loss in children.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate developmental outcomes in children with USNHI.
- To assess hearing aid acceptance and linguistic achievements in this population.
Main Methods:
- A series of 31 children aged 1-10 years with USNHI were studied over 4 years in Germany.
- Audiological and psychological assessments were conducted, including PTA, non-verbal intelligence tests, and linguistic evaluations.
- Hearing aid acceptance was determined through parental reports.
Main Results:
- USNHI varied in severity (mild to profound) and onset (congenital, postnatal, unknown).
- Most children (81%) accepted their unilateral hearing aids.
- Children demonstrated normal non-verbal intelligence and comparable linguistic skills to peers, with a minor delay in two-word utterances.
Conclusions:
- Unilateral sensorineural hearing impairment in children does not necessarily impede overall linguistic development or non-verbal intelligence.
- Unilateral hearing aid use appears effective and accepted in managing USNHI.
- Further research should explore long-term outcomes and specific intervention strategies.
Abstract:
This report presents the selected variables of a consecutive series of 1-10-year-old children with unilateral sensorineural hearing impairment (USNHI; defined as four-frequency pure-tone audiometry (PTA) 0.5, 1, 2, 4 kHz > or = 30 dB HL): severity, presumptive aetiologies, age at ascertainment, hearing aid acceptance, non-verbal intelligence, time of occurrence of first words and two-word utterances, size of vocabulary, and linguistic achievements. During a 4-year-period in a defined geographical area of Germany (Lower Saxony), 31 children were carefully audiologically and psychologically examined at the Department of Phoniatrics/Pedaudiology, University of Göttingen. All children were fitted unilaterally with a hearing aid. The HI was mild in 3%, moderate in 23%, severe in 29% and profound in 45% of the cases. The hearing defect was congenital in 23%, postnatally acquired in 16%, and of unknown onset in 61% of the cases. The affected side was the right in 17 cases, and the left in 14. The mean age at ascertainment was 65.5 months (SD 25.5; median 70). According to parental judgement, nearly 81% of the children had accepted their hearing aid (based on the daily/weekly time for which the child was using the hearing aid). On average, the children scored in the normal range in standardized non-verbal intelligence tests. They were delayed in using two-word phrases (on average for 5 months), but not in using their first words. However, children with USNHI experienced no more difficulty on standardized linguistic tasks than normally hearing subjects of the same age and gender.