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Age of suspicion, identification, and intervention for infants and young children with hearing loss: a national study
1Division of Speech and Hearing Sciences, University of North Carolina School of Medicine, Chapel Hill, USA.
Insights
Early identification and intervention for hearing loss in young children show delays, though improvement is noted. Delays differ based on known risk factors, highlighting the need for further research into timely management.
Area of Science:
- Pediatrics
- Audiology
- Public Health
Background:
- Hearing loss affects infants and young children, necessitating early detection and intervention.
- Timely management of hearing loss is crucial for developmental outcomes.
Purpose of the Study:
- To assess the national status of identification and intervention for hearing loss in young children.
- To investigate delays in diagnosis and treatment for pediatric hearing loss.
Main Methods:
- A mail survey was distributed to 331 parents of children aged 0-5 years across 35 states.
- Data collected included age of suspicion, diagnosis, hearing aid fitting, early intervention initiation, risk factors, and reasons for delay.
Main Results:
- Substantial delays were observed between parental suspicion, diagnosis, hearing aid fitting, and early intervention.
- Children with known risk factors exhibited different delay patterns compared to those without.
- Median ages for identification and intervention were lower than some previous reports but showed considerable variability.
Conclusions:
- The median age for identification and intervention, while improving, remains suboptimal.
- Further research is required to pinpoint factors contributing to delays in managing pediatric hearing loss.
Objective:
This study was designed to seek a nationwide perspective on the status of identification and intervention for infants and young children with hearing loss.
Design:
Three hundred thirty-one parents, whose children ranged from infancy to 5 yr of age, returned a mail survey that included respondents from 35 states. Parents were asked to report the approximate age of suspicion, diagnosis, hearing aid fitting, and initiation of early intervention services. Demographic information, risk factors, if known, and reasons for delay were also investigated.
Results:
Results revealed substantial delays between parental suspicion, audiologic-medical diagnosis, fitting of acoustic amplification, and initiation of early intervention services; however, the pattern of delay was different for children with known risk factors than it was for those without known risk factors. The median age of identification and intervention was lower than that reported by some previous investigators, although a considerable range was reported for each category.
Conclusions:
The median age of identification and intervention, although still higher than optimal, may be improving. Further research is needed to identify the many factors that continue to delay the timely management of hearing loss in young children.