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Behavioral Assessment of Hearing in 2 to 4 Year-old Children: A Two-interval, Observer-based Procedure Using Conditioned Play-based Responses
Published on: January 23, 2017
Initiators in processes leading to hearing loss identification in Finnish children
1Department of Audiology, Ear, Nose and Throat Clinic, Helsinki University Hospital, Finland. Timo.Marttila@hus.fi
Insights
Early detection of childhood hearing loss is crucial. Parental suspicion often identifies hearing impairment around the age of spoken language development, highlighting the need for accessible audiological services.
Area of Science:
- Pediatrics
- Audiology
- Public Health
Background:
- Hearing loss is a common congenital disability.
- Early diagnosis and intervention are critical for speech and language development.
- Understanding detection pathways informs public health strategies.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the pathways leading to hearing loss diagnosis in children.
- To identify the primary triggers for hearing loss detection.
- To analyze the timing and effectiveness of different detection methods.
Main Methods:
- Retrospective analysis of 328 children diagnosed with hearing loss (>30 dB HL) and fitted with hearing aids.
- Categorization of detection methods: risk factor initiation, parental suspicion, and well-baby clinic screening.
- Analysis of the age of suspicion and correlation with language development milestones.
Main Results:
- Risk factors initiated detection in 31% of cases.
- Parental suspicion accounted for 26% of diagnoses, often emerging between 1.5-3.4 years.
- Well-baby clinic screening identified 20% of hearing loss cases, effective across hearing loss severities.
Conclusions:
- Parental suspicion is a significant driver for hearing loss diagnosis in children.
- Timely access to audiological services is essential for parents concerned about hearing impairment.
- Screening programs should be optimized to complement parental awareness and risk factor identification.
Abstract:
The objective was to examine processes leading to the diagnosis of hearing loss in children. The subjects were 328 children (hearing loss >30 dB HL) fitted with hearing aids in Helsinki University Central Hospital. The risk factor initiated hearing loss detection in 31%, whereas parental suspicion accounted for 26% and hearing screening at the well-baby clinics for 20% of the subjects. Parents were foremost to suspect hearing loss at the age spoken language normally emerges (1.5-3.4 years). Screening was equally effective irrespective of the severity of hearing loss. Parents with misgivings of hearing impairment in their child should have compliant access to audiological units.
