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Does the introduction of newborn hearing screening improve vocabulary development in hearing-impaired children? A
Shuhei Ohmori1, Akiko Sugaya2, Naomi Toida3
1Department of Otolaryngology, Head & Neck Surgery, Graduate School of Medicine, Dentistry, and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Okayama University, 2-5-1 Shikata-cho, Kita-ku, Okayama 700-8558, Japan; Okayama Kanariya Gakuen, Auditory Center for Hearing Impaired Children, 321-102, Nisifurumatsu, Kita-ku, Okayama 700-0927, Japan.
Insights
Newborn hearing screening (NHS) significantly improved vocabulary development in hearing-impaired children. Early identification via NHS led to better receptive and productive language skills in preschool-aged children.
Area of Science:
- Pediatrics
- Audiology
- Developmental Psychology
Background:
- Permanent hearing impairment significantly impacts children's lifelong language development.
- Early identification of hearing loss is crucial for optimal language acquisition.
- A newborn hearing screening (NHS) program was implemented in Okayama Prefecture, Japan, in 1999.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the impact of the Okayama Prefecture's newborn hearing screening (NHS) program on the vocabulary development of preschool-aged children.
- To compare vocabulary outcomes in children who underwent screening before and after the NHS program's introduction.
- To assess the effectiveness of early hearing impairment detection on language acquisition.
Main Methods:
- A comparative study design involving 107 five-year-old children who attended Okayama Kanariya Gakuen between 1998 and 2011.
- Participants were divided into a pre-NHS group (1998-2003, n=40) and a post-NHS group (2004-2011, n=67).
- Receptive vocabulary (Picture Vocabulary Test) and productive vocabulary (original checklist) were assessed and compared between groups.
Main Results:
- Children in the post-NHS group demonstrated significantly higher scores for both receptive and productive vocabulary compared to the pre-NHS group (p<0.01).
- The adjusted odds ratio for improved receptive vocabulary was 2.63 (95% CI: 1.17-5.89).
- The adjusted odds ratio for improved productive vocabulary was 4.17 (95% CI: 1.69-10.29).
Conclusions:
- The implementation of the newborn hearing screening (NHS) program in Okayama Prefecture led to significant improvements in vocabulary development for hearing-impaired children.
- Early detection of hearing impairment through NHS positively influences both receptive and productive language skills.
- The findings underscore the importance of universal newborn hearing screening for mitigating the long-term effects of hearing loss on child development.
Objective:
Permanent hearing impairment has a life-long impact on children and its early identification is important for language development. A newborn hearing screening (NHS) program has started in Okayama Prefecture, Japan, in 1999 to detect hearing impairment immediately after birth. We aim to examine the effect of this screening program on vocabulary development in pre-school children in a before and after comparative study design.
Methods:
A total of 107 5-year-old children who graduated from Okayama Kanariya Gakuen (an auditory center for hearing-impaired children) between 1998 and 2011 were enrolled in this study. The pre-NHS group (n=40) was defined as those who graduated between 1998 and 2003, while the post-NHS group (n=67) was defined as those who graduated between 2004 and 2011. The primary outcome was receptive vocabulary, which was assessed by the Picture Vocabulary Test [score <18 (low) vs. score ≥18 (high)]. The secondary outcome was productive vocabulary, or the number of productive words, which was assessed by an original checklist [<1773 words (low) vs. ≥1773 (high)]. We calculated odds ratios and 95% confidence intervals for vocabulary development and compared both groups.
Results:
The adjusted Picture Vocabulary Test score and number of productive words were significantly higher (p<0.01) in the post-NHS group than the pre-NHS group. Odds ratios were 2.63 (95% confidence interval: 1.17-5.89) for receptive vocabulary and 4.17 (95% confidence interval: 1.69-10.29) for productive vocabulary.
Conclusions:
The introduction of NHS in Okayama Prefecture significantly improved both receptive and productive vocabulary development in hearing-impaired children.
