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[Detection and treatment of deafness in children]
1Service ORL du Pr Narcy, hôpital Robert-Debré, faculté Xavier-Bichat, Paris.
Insights
Early detection of childhood deafness is crucial. Various screening methods, from birth to toddler years, identify hearing impairments for timely intervention and treatment.
Area of Science:
- Pediatrics
- Audiology
- Developmental Pediatrics
Context:
- Childhood hearing impairment often presents subtly, mimicking normal development.
- Early identification is vital for effective intervention and developmental outcomes.
Purpose:
- To highlight the importance of systematic deafness screening in infants and young children.
- To outline age-appropriate diagnostic methods for detecting different types of hearing loss.
Summary:
- Systematic screening for deafness in the first year of life is recommended due to subtle behavioral similarities with normal hearing.
- Diagnostic tools include babymeters at birth for severe deafness, sound-emitting toys between 6-18 months, and ear-specific tests for unilateral deafness at 2-3 years.
- Treatment strategies differ based on deafness type: conductive hearing loss (often otitis media with effusion) may be managed with transtympanic aerators, while perceptive hearing loss requires hearing aids and speech therapy.
Impact:
- Facilitates early intervention, potentially improving speech, language, and cognitive development in deaf children.
- Informs healthcare providers about timely screening protocols and varied treatment approaches for pediatric hearing loss.
Abstract:
Deafness must be systematically looked for in children during the first year of life, since the behaviour of a child with impaired hearing may closely resemble that of a child with normal hearing. Severe or deep deafness can be detected at birth by means of a babymeter. Between the ages of 6 and 18 months, sound-emitting toy tests enable deafness to be detected. It is only at the age of 2-3 years that testing can be performed separately on each ear to detect unilateral deafness. Treatment varies according to the degree and type of deafness. Conduction deafness is usually due to otitis media serosa and is treated with transtympanic aerators. Perceptive deafness requires acoustic prosthesis associated with orthophony and parental guidance.