Delay in auditory behaviour and preverbal vocalization in infants with unilateral hearing loss
Liat Kishon-Rabin1, Jacob Kuint2, Minka Hildesheimer1,3
1Department of Communication Disorders, Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel.
Insights
Infants with unilateral hearing loss (UHL) show higher risks of delayed auditory and preverbal communication skills compared to those with bilateral normal hearing (BNH). Early intervention is crucial for mitigating long-term effects.
Area of Science:
- Audiology
- Developmental Pediatrics
- Speech-Language Pathology
Background:
- Unilateral hearing loss (UHL) is often considered a 'minor' condition.
- Its impact on early communication development requires further investigation.
- Early auditory and vocal skills are foundational for language acquisition.
Purpose of the Study:
- To compare the early aural/oral communication skills of infants with UHL to those with bilateral normal hearing (BNH).
- To identify potential delays in auditory behavior and preverbal vocalizations in infants with UHL.
- To establish the significance of UHL as a risk factor for communication delays.
Main Methods:
- A comparative study involving 34 infants with UHL and 331 infants with BNH.
- Participants were categorized into low-risk and high-risk subgroups for developmental delay.
- Parent-reported data on early auditory skills and preverbal vocalizations were collected using validated questionnaires.
Main Results:
- Infants with UHL exhibited significantly higher rates of delayed auditory behavior (21%) and preverbal vocalizations (41%) compared to BNH peers (p<0.01).
- After adjusting for risk factors, infants with UHL were approximately 4 times more likely to have delayed auditory behavior and 9 times more likely to have delayed vocalizations (p<0.01).
Conclusions:
- This study provides the first evidence that infants with UHL are at increased risk for delayed early communication skills, irrespective of other developmental risk factors.
- These findings underscore the importance of early identification and intervention for infants with UHL.
- Addressing UHL is critical to prevent potential negative long-term communication and developmental outcomes.
Aim:
To evaluate the impact of unilateral hearing loss (UHL) on early aural/oral communication skills of infants by comparing performance to infants with bilateral normal hearing (BNH).
Method:
Thirty-four infants with UHL (median age 9.4mo, 25th-75th centile 7.34-12.15) and 331 control infants with BNH (median age 9mo, 6.0-13.38) were divided into two subgroups based on risk factors known to cause developmental delay: low risk and high risk. Early auditory skills and preverbal vocalizations were assessed using two parent questionnaires: the Infant-Toddler Meaningful Auditory Integration Scale and the Production of Infants Scale Evaluation.
Results:
Of the infants with UHL, 21% showed delays in auditory behaviour and 41% delays in preverbal vocalizations, compared to their peers with BNH (p<0.01). After adjusting for risk level, delayed auditory behaviour and preverbal vocalizations were approximately four and nine times more common in infants with UHL compared to BNH respectively (p<0.01).
Interpretation:
This is the first study to show that infants with UHL are at higher risk of delay in early aural/oral communication abilities compared to infants with BNH even in the absence of other known risk factors for developmental delay. This has important implications for early intervention and habilitation of infants with UHL, in order to reduce some of the negative long-term consequences of what was once considered 'minor' hearing loss.
