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Characteristics of children with permanent mild hearing impairment
Christiane Kiese-Himmel1, Silke Ohlwein
1Department of Phoniatrics/Pedaudiology, University of Göttingen, Göttingen, Germany. ckiese@med.uni-goettingen.de
Insights
Mild hearing impairment (HI) in early childhood did not hinder speech and language development when identified early and treated with hearing aids. Early intervention is key for children with permanent mild HI.
Area of Science:
- Pediatrics
- Audiology
- Developmental Psychology
Background:
- Permanent mild hearing impairment (HI) affects early childhood development.
- Early identification and intervention are crucial for managing mild HI.
Purpose of the Study:
- To provide updated information on permanent mild HI in early childhood.
- To analyze the impact of mild HI on speech, language, and cognitive development.
Main Methods:
- Retrospective analysis of 33 children with permanent mild HI (25-39 dB HL) over 7 years.
- Categorization of HI types (sensorineural/conductive, unilateral/bilateral).
- Assessment of language development, nonverbal intelligence, and central auditory processing.
Main Results:
- No average delays in receptive/expressive vocabulary, but delayed two-word phrase acquisition in infancy.
- Nonverbal intelligence within normal range; central auditory processing comparable to normal children.
- Mild HI did not adversely affect development when hearing aids were used post-early identification.
Conclusions:
- Early identification and hearing aid fitting mitigate adverse effects of mild HI on speech/language development.
- Mild HI, without additional handicaps, is manageable with timely intervention.
- This study highlights the importance of audiological screening and support in early childhood.
Abstract:
The report was intended to provide up-to-date information about permanent mild hearing impairment (HI) in early childhood. Altogether 33/250 children with a permanent mild HI in the better ear (average at frequencies of 0.5, 1, 2, 4 kHz >or=25-39 dB HL) were found during the 7-year period from 1994 to 2001 in the Outpatient Clinic of the Department Phoniatrics/Pedaudiology, University of Göttingen. Twenty-two of 33 children had a mild HI in one or both ears. The loss was sensorineural in 73% of the children (88% bilateral, 12% unilateral), and conductive in 27% (67% bilaterally, 33% unilaterally) because of ear malformations or a suspicion of middle ear anomalies. Clinical data and test performances were presented for these four types of mild HI. Altogether, standardized language assessment demonstrated no delays in receptive and expressive vocabulary ability development on average, although the acquisition of two-word phrases in infancy was in mean delayed. Nonverbal intelligence was within the normal range, and on average the children did not perform less well in central auditory processing than normal children. Provided that no additional handicaps were present, mild HI did not adversely affect speech/language development if the children were fitted with hearing aids after early identification of HI.