Universal newborn hearing screening programs and developmental outcomes

Abstract

AbstractThis article summarizes the results of research funded by the National Institutes of Health from 1994 to 2001 to investigate the predictors of successful developmental outcomes of children with significant hearing loss. Research studies on Colorado children identified early through both universal newborn hearing screening (NHIS) and the high risk register indicate that early identification of hearing loss followed by immediate and appropriate early intervention services results in language development within the low range of typical development of hearing children; speech development and speech intelligibility is improved, and the social-emotional aspects of the family and child are better than when children are identified with hearing loss after 6 months of age. Colorado children born in hospitals with universal newborn hearing screening programs who were identified with hearing loss in the first few months of life and had no secondary disabilities had an 80% probability of having language development within the normal range from birth through five years of age. Research studies included samples sizes from 69 to 294 children with significant hearing loss.KeywordsLanguageIdentificationInterventionSpeech DevelopmentUnhsVocabulary