Role of Early Audiological Screening and Intervention

Abstract

Objectives: The aim of our study is to find out whether early identification and intervention prevents severe linguistic and communication delays, minimizing the need for more elaborate rehabilitation during the school years. Design and Study Sample: A Cross-sectional study was carried out on one hundred and eleven children with documented deaf-mutism presenting at the Department of Oto-Rhino-Laryngology in two different geographical regions of India. Detailed history, clinical and audiological assessment along with assessment of the language and communication skills according to American Speech Language Hearing Association (ASHA) guidelines was done. Results: The children were predominantly male, of low socio-economic background, presented for rehabilitation, mostly after the age of six years. They commonly had more than 70dBHL (decibel hearing level) hearing threshold. The study found that the children who presented early for diagnosis and hearing aid usage had better response to rehabilitation. Conclusion: It is important that hearing loss be detected at an early age and amplification should be introduced as early as possible once there has been a diagnosis of a hearing loss. So that early intervention can have an impact on speech and language development. Without concurrent follow-up program, identification of hearing loss early in children is meaningless.