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Published on: January 23, 2017
The ages of suspicion, identification, amplification and intervention in children with hearing loss
Esra Ozcebe1, Sebnem Sevinc, Erol Belgin
1Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, Section of Audiology and Speech Pathology, Hacettepe University Faculty of Medicine, Ankara 06100, Turkey. eozcebe@hacettepe.edu.tr
Insights
Early detection of childhood hearing loss has improved in Turkey, with suspicion, identification, and intervention occurring at younger ages. However, current ages still lag behind recommended guidelines for infant hearing.
Area of Science:
- Pediatrics
- Audiology
- Public Health
Background:
- Early identification and intervention are crucial for managing childhood hearing loss.
- Timeliness of diagnosis and treatment significantly impacts developmental outcomes.
- Established guidelines exist for optimal age benchmarks for infant hearing care.
Purpose of the Study:
- To determine the mean ages of suspicion, identification, amplification, and intervention for children with hearing loss in Turkey.
- To compare these age benchmarks between two distinct time periods (1991-1994 and 1999-2004).
- To assess progress towards recommended early intervention timelines.
Main Methods:
- Retrospective analysis of data from 199 children with severe to profound hearing loss (1999-2004).
- Calculation of intervals between suspicion, identification, amplification, and intervention.
- Comparison with data from 156 children with hearing loss (1991-1994).
- Data collection via family interviews and hospital records.
Main Results:
- Mean age of suspicion was 12.5 months; identification at 19.4 months; amplification at 26.5 months; and intervention at 33.0 months (1999-2004 cohort).
- A significant decrease in ages of suspicion, identification, and intervention was observed in the later period (1999-2004) compared to the earlier period (1991-1994).
Conclusions:
- Significant improvements in the timeliness of hearing loss suspicion, identification, and intervention have been achieved in Turkey.
- Despite progress, the ages for suspicion, identification, amplification, and intervention remain considerably later than recommended by the Joint Committee on Infant Hearing.
- Further efforts are needed to align current practices with international best practice guidelines for early childhood hearing loss management.
Objective:
The aim of this study was to determine the ages of suspicion, identification, amplification and intervention in children with hearing loss.
Methods:
In the first stage of the study, we determined the ages of parental suspicion, identification, amplification and intervention in children with hearing loss who were referred to our center between years 1999 and 2004. The data of 199 children with severe to profound hearing loss was analyzed retrospectively. Based on these data, the intervals of suspicion and identification, identification and amplification and amplification and intervention were calculated. In the second stage of study, the data obtained from 156 children with severe to profound hearing loss, who were followed at our center between years 1991 and 1994, was compared to the data obtained in the first stage of study. Data were collected from family questionnaire-based interviews and hospital records.
Results:
In the first stage of the study, parents reported that hearing loss was suspected at a mean age of 12.5 months. The average ages of identification, amplification and intervention were 19.4; 26.5 and 33.0 months, respectively. The results obtained from the second stage of this study revealed that, ages of suspicion, identification and intervention were significantly smaller for the period of 1999-2004, compared to the period of 1991-1994.
Conclusions:
The results of this study clearly demonstrate that, in Turkey, there are significant improvements in the ages of suspicion, identification and intervention of hearing loss. Even though these improvements are remarkable, the ages of suspicion, identification, amplification and intervention of hearing loss are still far beyond the suggested ages by the Joint Committee on Infant Hearing.
