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The hearing-impaired infant: patterns of identification and habilitation revisited
L K Stein1, T Jabaley, R Spitz
1Siegel Institute, Michael Reese Hospital and Medical Center, Chicago, Illinois.
Insights
Early identification of hearing impairment in infants remains a challenge. Despite screening in Neonatal Intense Care Units (NICUs), many infants are diagnosed late, missing the ideal intervention window.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Audiology
- Infant Hearing Screening
- Developmental Pediatrics
Background:
- Follow-up study examining hearing-impaired infants identified between 1983-1988.
- Compares findings to an earlier 1980-1982 study on risk factors and habilitation patterns.
- Focuses on infants from an urban setting.
Purpose of the Study:
- To assess the effectiveness of current audiological screening programs in identifying hearing-impaired infants.
- To determine the age of diagnosis and enrollment in habilitation programs for infants.
- To evaluate progress towards the Joint Committee on Infant Hearing's recommended age for intervention.
Main Methods:
- Analysis of audiological screening data from Neonatal Intense Care Units (NICUs) and Well Baby Nurseries (WBNs).
- Tracking age at diagnosis and age at enrollment in parent-infant habilitation programs.
- Comparison of current findings with data from a previous 1980-1982 study.
Main Results:
- Only one in three hearing-impaired infants are identified via NICU audiological screening.
- While NICU graduates are diagnosed earlier than WBN graduates, both groups enroll in programs around 20 months.
- Enrollment age in habilitation remains over a year later than the recommended 6 months.
Conclusions:
- Current infant hearing screening programs in NICUs are insufficient for timely identification.
- Significant delays persist in diagnosing hearing impairment and enrolling infants in habilitation services.
- The ideal intervention age of 6 months, recommended in 1982, is not being met.
Abstract:
This study is a follow-up of an 1980-1982 study that examined the occurrence of risk factors and the patterns of identification and habilitation in a group of hearing-impaired infants from an urban setting. Current findings covering the period 1983-1988, indicate that only one out of three hearing-impaired infants can be expected to be identified through audiological screening programs in Neonatal Intense Care Units (NICUs) and although the age at diagnosis for NICU graduates is significantly earlier than for Well Baby Nursery (WBN) graduates, age at enrollment in a parent-infant program for both NICU and WBN infants is around 20 months. Over the 8 year period covered by our two studies, the age hearing-impaired infants are enrolled in habilitation has remained a year or more later than the 6 month ideal recommended in 1982 by the Joint Committee on Infant Hearing.