Intervention and the hearing-impaired child--an evaluation of outcome

The investigation was performed in order to evaluate the outcome of intervention in preschool age. The material comprises a cohort of 138 children, 76 boys and 62 girls, born during 1970-1980, living in the Copenhagen County at the time of data collection (1987), all suffering from predominantly congenital/early acquired hearing disability (i.e. hearing level greater than or equal to 35 dB HL for the average of 0.5-4 kHz on the better hearing ear). The type of school attended is used as a measure for outcome of preschool intervention. It was demonstrated that 49% attended normal class (speech), 21% attended special units (total communication), and 24% attended the school for the deaf (sign/manual). By subdivision the children (n = 75) with a hearing loss less than 75 dB HL attended normal class in 80%; 7% attended special units. The children (n = 63) with hearing loss greater than or equal to 75 dB HL attended normal class in 11%, special units in 33%, and school for the deaf in 52%. An early identification of the hearing loss was found to facilitate attendance of normal class in the group with a hearing loss less than 75 dB HL. Among the children at the school for the deaf 84% had speaking parents. The frequency of the causes of hearing loss differs significantly in the special units, when compared to the total cohort. It is concluded that the outcome of preschool intervention is related predominantly to the degree of hearing loss; that an early intervention in the group of children with hearing loss less than 75 dB HL facilitates the attendance of normal class; that the frequency of the causes of hearing impairment is different in the special units.