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Selective hearing screening for young children
Insights
A selective hearing screening program identified children at risk for hearing loss. Nearly 30% of evaluated preschoolers had documented hearing issues, particularly those with ear infections or parental concern.
Area of Science:
- Pediatrics
- Audiology
- Early Childhood Education
Background:
- Early identification of hearing loss is crucial for child development.
- Risk factors for hearing impairment in young children include recurrent ear infections and parental/staff concerns.
- A selective screening approach targets children most likely to have hearing deficits.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the effectiveness of a selective hearing screening program in a preschool setting.
- To determine the prevalence of hearing loss among preschoolers identified as 'at risk'.
Main Methods:
- A selective hearing screening program was implemented in an early education project.
- Children were identified as 'at risk' based on Joint Committee on Infant Hearing Screening criteria, recurrent ear infections, or concern.
- Eligible children (31% of 228) were referred for full audiological evaluation; 45 children participated.
Main Results:
- Twenty-nine percent of the children who underwent full evaluation had documented hearing loss.
- Children with recurrent ear infections showed a 42% rate of abnormal hearing.
- Children with parental or staff concern had the highest yield of abnormal hearing at 71%.
Conclusions:
- A selective hearing screening program is effective in identifying preschoolers with hearing loss.
- Preschoolers with recurrent ear infections or parental/staff concern represent high-yield groups for hearing screening.
- Targeted audiological evaluations are essential for early detection and intervention of hearing impairments in young children.
Abstract:
A "selective" hearing screening program was instituted in an early education project. Three-year-old children were deemed "at risk" for mild-to-moderate hearing loss if they met one of the risk criteria established by the Joint Committee on Infant Hearing Screening, if they had recurrent ear infections, or if there was parent or staff concern about the child's hearing. Based on these criteria, 31 per cent of the 228 children in the project were eligible for full audiologic evaluation at a speech and hearing center. The parents of 45 children took advantage of this special evaluation. Twenty-nine per cent of these selected children had some hearing loss documented. The highest yields of abnormal hearing were for children "at risk" because of recurrent ear infections (42%), and parent for educational staff concern (71%).