The early detection of childhood deafness

Early commencement of habilitative measures is vital for a deaf child's development. This implies a need for early diagnosis. Some improvement has occurred in recent years, but early diagnosis is still the exception rather than the rule. To determine some of the factors which lead to early diagnosis, a survey of parents of young Australian deaf children was undertaken. This showed that, while the majority of children were suspected to be deaf on the basis of informal observation by parents, relatives or friends, the most consistent early diagnosis came as a result of follow up of infants at risk. Certain factors acted to delay diagnosis. Dissuasion and inappropriate advice from doctors significantly delayed diagnosis in 25% of all cases. Further, over half the hearing-impaired children who were tested in screening programmes were not detected, and the false sense of security given the parents in these cases resulted in long delays before suspicion of deafness (based on informal observation) developed. If early diagnosis of deafness is to become the rule, a purposeful attempt to use risk criteria, coupled with improved screening programmes, will be the most promising avenues to follow. Improved education of the community at large may also assist, but this is a much longer-term aim.