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Follow-up of participants in a preschool hearing screening program in child care centres
L M O'Mara1, S Isaacs, L W Chambers
1Faculty of Health Sciences, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON.
Insights
Preschool hearing screening identified children with potential hearing loss. However, follow-up revealed few confirmed cases, questioning the program's overall effectiveness for early communication disorder detection.
Area of Science:
- Pediatrics
- Public Health
- Audiology
Background:
- Ontario Ministry of Health recommended identification of communication disorders in preschoolers.
- Hamilton-Wentworth Department of Public Health Services implemented hearing screening in child care centers.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the effectiveness of preschool hearing screening programs.
- To assess the follow-up and outcomes of children failing the screening.
Main Methods:
- Pure-tone audiometry screening for preschool children in child care centers.
- Telephone follow-up interviews with parents of children who failed screening.
- Medical assessment for confirmed hearing problems.
Main Results:
- 1,844 children were screened; 35 failed the initial test.
- 26 children received medical follow-up.
- 8 children had confirmed hearing problems, mostly due to middle ear fluid; 5 were newly diagnosed.
- Treatment outcomes varied, with some improvement noted.
Conclusions:
- The study questions the utility and cost-effectiveness of current preschool hearing screening programs.
- Further investigation is needed to optimize early identification of hearing impairments in young children.
Abstract:
As part of its response to the Ontario Ministry of Health recommendation that communication disorders in preschool children be identified, the Hamilton-Wentworth Department of Public Health Services performed hearing screening tests on all preschool children in child care centres. Parents of children who had failed the hearing screening test were recommended to take their child to their family physician for further assessment. Out of 1,844 children tested between September 1990 and February 1991, 35 children failed the pure-tone audiometry test administered by nurses. A telephone follow-up interview determined that 26 children with screening test failures had received some medical follow-up. Eight children had a confirmed hearing problem; of these, five were newly diagnosed with a hearing problem, all resulting from fluid build-up in the middle ear. Three children were treated, with two having improved hearing. Of the two children not treated, one was reported to have improved hearing. As with other recently reported preschool hearing screening programs, this study raises doubts about the usefulness of such programs.