Learning disabilities in children with hearing loss: A systematic review

Area of Science:

• Pediatric audiology
• Developmental psychology
• Educational neuroscience

Background:

• Investigating the association between hearing loss, otitis media with effusion (OME), and learning difficulties in children.
• Examining clinical and neuropsychological differences in deaf and hard of hearing (DHH) children with learning difficulties.
• Identifying predictors of learning difficulties in DHH children.

Approach:

• Systematic literature review of Pubmed, Cochrane, and Scopus databases.
• Inclusion criteria: studies post-2000, subjects <18 years, co-occurring learning difficulties and hearing loss/OME, English articles.
• Exclusion criteria: other comorbidities, non-original studies.

Key Points:

• Children with hearing loss receiving early diagnosis and rehabilitation (before 6 months) showed better readiness, language, and literacy skills.
• Frequent OME episodes and conductive hearing loss during language acquisition correlated with lower reading scores.
• Reading difficulties in children with hearing loss share characteristics with those experiencing language difficulties.

Conclusions:

• Limited research exists on hearing loss and learning difficulties in children.
• Further investigation is needed across various ages using current diagnostic tools.
• Early identification and intervention are crucial for mitigating learning challenges in DHH children.