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Hearing Screening
Our sense of hearing is
an amazingly complex system that is still not completely understood by
medical science. Hearing impairment affects
children in different ways. A large percentage of infant hearing
loss is due to genetics or illness, and often there is no known
reason. Late discovery of
hearing loss also means language development delay. Children are more
likely to perform below their grade level and/or drop out of school.
However, we do know that children, who receive early diagnosis and
early intervention, will develop better language and social abilities
and more likely function at the level of their peers by the time they
enter school. A simple screening
procedure can identify a potential hearing loss and start the baby on a program
to develop the best possible communication skills.
Newborn
Hearing Screening-Universal
Hearing Screening Programs
Hearing screening for all
newborns before they leave the hospital is called universal hearing screening. Without early screening, however,
most of the children won’t be diagnosed until between the ages two and
three, and the child’s first three years are the most important for
language development.
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Until this moment the average age
of diagnosis in
Saudi
Arabia
is 2-3 years. At this stage,
crucial time for early
intervention has been lost.
For infants, the OAEs test is often used
to screen for hearing loss in the newborn period. The infant sleeps
while sounds are played to the ear through a small earphone. Newborn
hearing screening also can be performed using Automated Auditory
Brainstem Response (AABR) or a combination of both ABR
and OAE
measures. Either
test can be conducted during the first 24 to 48 hours of life. If the
infant does not pass this screening, re-testing should occur as soon as
possible. Most infants who do not pass the screening will pass the
follow-up test. However, if the follow-up test is not passed, the
infant should be scheduled for a comprehensive audiological
evaluation with a registered audiologist.
At JISH, all newborn babies are now
screened for hearing impairment free of charge upto the age of 3.
What happens if an infant does not pass the screening?
Most babies pass the
hearing screening; however, some babies will have a refer result
and will need a hearing assessment. The hearing assessment is performed
by an audiologist who is trained to test babies' hearing.
Even if the screening
indicates normal hearing, it is important to remain aware of your
child’s speech and language. Hearing can change overtime, affected by
different illnesses. Furthermore, certain conditions do not produce
immediate hearing loss. Rather, the hearing loss occurs later in the
child's life. Thus, if an infant with any of the following indicators
for progressive or delayed-onset hearing loss should receive audiologic monitoring every
six months upto the age of 3 years:
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- Concern regarding hearing, speech, language, and/or
developmental delay.
- Family history of permanent childhood hearing loss.
- Characteristics or other findings associated with a syndrome
known to include a sensorineural and/or
conductive hearing loss, syndrome associated with progressive
hearing loss or neurodeginerative disorders
- Postnatal infections associated with sensorineural hearing loss including bacterial meningitis.
- In utero infections such as cytomegalovirus, herpes, rubella, syphilis, and
toxoplasmosis.
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