Related Experiment Video

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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
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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

Hearing abilities and language development in anemic children of a public daycare center

Juliana Nunes Santos1, Stela Maris Aguiar Lemos, Silmar Paulo Moreira Rates

  • 1Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais. juliana.santos@fead.br

Pro-Fono : Revista De Atualizacao Cientifica
|January 15, 2009
PubMed

Insights

Anemia in young children is linked to poorer auditory and language development. Anemic children showed significant differences in hearing and language skills compared to non-anemic peers.

Area of Science:

  • Pediatric Health
  • Developmental Psychology
  • Audiology

Background:

  • Iron-deficiency anemia is a global health concern, particularly in children.
  • Early childhood development, including auditory and language skills, is crucial for long-term outcomes.
  • The relationship between anemia and developmental milestones requires further investigation.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To compare auditory and language development in anemic versus non-anemic children aged 3-6 years.
  • To identify specific developmental deficits associated with anemia in early childhood.
  • To provide data for early intervention strategies in at-risk populations.

Main Methods:

  • A transversal, blind case-control study involving 19 anemic and 38 non-anemic children.
  • Iron-deficiency anemia diagnosed via digital puncture (hemoglobin < 11.3 g/dL).
  • Auditory assessment included otoacoustic emissions, tympanometry, and central auditory processing evaluation; language development assessed using behavior observation guidelines.

Main Results:

  • Anemic children exhibited significantly lower hemoglobin levels compared to controls.
  • Statistically significant differences were observed in acoustic reflex presence, language reception performance indexes, and cognitive language aspects.
  • Anemic children showed a higher prevalence of inadequate hearing abilities, including sequential memory and sound localization.

Conclusions:

  • Anemic children demonstrated significant differences in acoustic reflex and language development compared to non-anemic children.
  • A higher prevalence of hearing evaluation alterations was noted in anemic children.
  • Findings underscore the impact of anemia on critical early developmental domains.
Abstract

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