Considering the impact of universal newborn hearing screening and early intervention on language outcomes for children with congenital hearing loss

Objective: Universal newborn hearing screening has become standard practice in many countries. The primary goal of this study was to assess the impact of early identification of permanent childhood hearing loss on oral communication development. Setting: Participants were recruited from three clinical programmes in two cities in the province of Ontario, Canada. The study sample was born during two consecutive periods of newborn hearing screening. The first period, prior to 2002, was targeted on high-risk infants only, and the second, from 2002, included both high- and standard-risk infants (universal newborn hearing screening – UNHS). All children were enrolled in rehabilitation programmes focused on oral language development. Methods: In this multicentre observational study, 65 children under the age of five years with onset of hearing loss before six months of age, 26 identified through systematic newborn screening (14 through targeted screening and 12 through UNHS) and 39 without screening, were assessed with an extensive battery of child- and parent-administered speech and language measures. The degree of hearing loss ranged from mild to profound with 22 children in the mild, moderate and moderately severe categories and 43 in the severe and profound categories. Data are reported for the three-year study period. Results: The screened group of children was identified at a median age of 6.6 (interquartile range, 3.0–8.2) months and children referred from sources other than newborn screening were diagnosed at a median age of 16.5 (interquartile range, 10.2–29.0) months. Assessment of oral communication development showed no significant difference between the screened and unscreened groups. The communication outcomes for children identified before 12 months of age did not differ from those of later identified children. Conclusions: Systematic screening of newborn hearing results in earlier identification and intervention for children with permanent hearing loss. Superior language outcome following newborn screening was not demonstrable in the setting of this study.

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Newborn Hearing Screening: Experience from a Tertiary level Hospital in Nepal

Nepal Medical Journal ◽

10.37080/nmj.152 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 4 (1) ◽

pp. 33-36

Author(s):

Pankaj Ray ◽

Siba Thakali ◽

Session Prajapati

Keyword(s):

Hearing Loss ◽

Otoacoustic Emissions ◽

Neonatal Intensive Care ◽

Auditory Brainstem ◽

Hearing Screening ◽

Newborn Hearing Screening ◽

Congenital Hearing Loss ◽

Universal Newborn Hearing Screening ◽

Newborn Hearing ◽

Brainstem Response

Introduction Congenital hearing loss is one of the commonest causes of hearing impairment and deafness in childhood. Early diagnosis and intervention in time help a child to lead a better life with good language and communication skills. Known risk factors include cytomegalovirus infection and premature birth necessitating a stay in the neonatal intensive care unit. Universal newborn hearing screening has been implemented by many countries due to easy and non-invasive screening test and their ability to identify children who may need early intervention. Methods: All the newborns delivered between December 2018 to November 2020 were screened for congenital hearing loss. The average age at screening was more than 24 hours. Those who were referred in OAE (otoacoustic emissions testing) underwent ABR (auditory brainstem response) test and further workup as needed. Conclusions: The incidence of congenital hearing loss was 1.8 per 1000 live births. This finding is consistent with other previous research. UNHS will be cost-effective easy and feasible method for early detection of hearing loss in newborns. Pediatric health services organizations should prioritize universal newborn hearing screening as a part of the standard of care in birthing services.

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Universal Newborn Hearing Screening Coming Soon: “Hear’s” Why

Neonatal Network The Journal of Neonatal Nursing ◽

10.1891/0730-0832.20.8.25 ◽

2001 ◽

Vol 20 (8) ◽

pp. 25-33 ◽

Cited By ~ 5

Author(s):

Carrie Knott,

Keyword(s):

Hearing Loss ◽

Cognitive Abilities ◽

Standard Of Care ◽

Hearing Screening ◽

Newborn Hearing Screening ◽

Congenital Hearing Loss ◽

Inborn Errors ◽

Universal Newborn Hearing Screening ◽

Newborn Hearing ◽

Metabolic Screening

Screening the hearing of all newborns, both NICU and well nursery, is rapidly becoming the standard of care. The impetus for universal newborn hearing screening (UNHS) has come from outside the domain of nursing and the newborn nursery. Because nursing will be involved in nearly all aspects of UNHS, nurses need a thorough knowledge base about permanent childhood hearing loss (PCHL) and UNHS. Technology exisits today that can objectively and physiologically screen for this condition at a cost comparable to metabolic screening. PCHL occurs more than twice as often as all the hemoglobinopathies and inborn errors of metabolism combined. Undiagnosed hearing loss often leads to permanent developmental delays. The ultimate goal of early diagnosis and intervention for a congenital hearing loss is to enable the child to develop language and communication skills that correspond to his chronological age and innate cognitive abilities.

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Societal costs of permanent childhood hearing loss at teen age: a cross-sectional cohort follow-up study of universal newborn hearing screening

BMJ Paediatrics Open ◽

10.1136/bmjpo-2017-000228 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 2 (1) ◽

pp. e000228 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Maria Chorozoglou ◽

Merle Mahon ◽

Hannah Pimperton ◽

Sarah Worsfold ◽

Colin R Kennedy

Keyword(s):

Hearing Loss ◽

Hearing Screening ◽

Newborn Hearing Screening ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Societal Costs ◽

Follow Up Study ◽

Universal Newborn Hearing Screening ◽

Newborn Hearing ◽

Childhood Hearing Loss

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Detecting Hearing Loss in Infants With a Syndrome or Craniofacial Abnormalities Following the Newborn Hearing Screen

Journal of Speech Language and Hearing Research ◽

10.1044/2021_jslhr-20-00699 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 1-9

Author(s):

Philippa Horn ◽

Carlie Driscoll ◽

Jane Fitzgibbons ◽

Rachael Beswick

Keyword(s):

Hearing Loss ◽

Trisomy 21 ◽

Hearing Screening ◽

Newborn Hearing Screening ◽

Craniofacial Abnormalities ◽

Universal Newborn Hearing Screening ◽

Increased Risk ◽

Newborn Hearing ◽

Pierre Robin ◽

Early Diagnostic

Purpose The current Joint Committee on Infant Hearing guidelines recommend that infants with syndromes or craniofacial abnormalities (CFAs) who pass the universal newborn hearing screening (UNHS) undergo audiological assessment by 9 months of age. However, emerging research suggests that children with these risk factors are at increased risk of early hearing loss despite passing UNHS. To establish whether earlier diagnostic audiological assessment is warranted for all infants with a syndrome or CFA, regardless of screening outcome, this study compared audiological outcomes of those who passed UNHS and those who referred. Method A retrospective analysis was performed on infants with a syndrome or CFA born between July 1, 2012, and June 30, 2017 who participated in Queensland, Australia's state-wide UNHS program. Results Permanent childhood hearing loss (PCHL) yield was higher among infants who referred on newborn hearing screening (51.20%) than in those who passed. Nonetheless, 27.47% of infants who passed were subsequently diagnosed with hearing loss (4.45% PCHL, 23.02% transient conductive), but PCHL was generally milder in this cohort. After microtia/atresia, the most common PCHL etiologies were Trisomy 21, other syndromes, and cleft palate. Of the other syndromes, Pierre Robin sequence featured prominently among infants who passed the hearing screen and were subsequently diagnosed with PCHL, whereas there was a broader mix of other syndromes that caused PCHL in infants who referred on screening. Conclusion Children identified with a syndrome or CFA benefit from early diagnostic audiological assessment, regardless of their newborn hearing screening outcome.

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First national results of the evaluation of the neonatal hearing loss screening programme in France

European Journal of Public Health ◽

10.1093/eurpub/ckz186.188 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 29 (Supplement_4) ◽

Author(s):

A Doncarli ◽

H Tillaut ◽

V Goulet

Keyword(s):

Hearing Loss ◽

Screening Programme ◽

National Level ◽

Hearing Screening ◽

Newborn Hearing Screening ◽

Universal Newborn Hearing Screening ◽

Newborn Hearing ◽

Set Up ◽

Bilateral Deafness

Abstract Background The French newborn hearing screening programme set up in 2014 aims to identify affected children as early as possible to allow appropriate care. Our goal was to evaluate the implementation of this programme at the national level. Methods The programme consist in a screening using a test (T1) and a retest (T2) in the maternity hospital in all newborns. In some region, a delayed test (T3) is performed afterwards in children for whom it was not possible to confirm normal hearing. Children suspected of deafness subsequently enter the diagnosis phase. We defined evaluation indicators after stakeholders consultation. We developed a web application to collect aggregated data on live births. We estimated the rate of coverage, refusal, children suspected of hearing loss at the end of the screening phase and the prevalence of bilateral deafness. Results In 2015, one year after the initiation of the programme, the coverage rate was already very high (88%) and even more so in 2016 (96%). Parental acceptance was very good (refusal: 0.1%). By the end of 2016, 19 out 27 regions had added a T3. The rate of suspicion of bilateral hearing loss was decreased by using a T3 (1.4% vs 0.9%). Bilateral deafness rate, estimated after a 2-years follow up, was 1.3‰ although it was estimated only on 51.5% of suspected children for whom diagnosis data had been transmitted. Conclusions The objective of a 90% coverage set by the French ministry of health has been met after 2 years of operation of the program. T3 appears useful in relieving diagnostic structures from false positives. Our estimated prevalence of bilateral deafness could be more accurate if data collection was improved but is consistent with prevalence reported in North America. Key messages The universal newborn hearing screening program has been successfully set up in France in terms of coverage. Future work should focus on improving the collection of follow up data to better characterise diagnosed children.

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The Impact of Universal Newborn Hearing Screening

Qualitative Social Work ◽

10.1177/1473325004048021 ◽

2004 ◽

Vol 3 (4) ◽

pp. 367-387 ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

Alys Young ◽

Helen Tattersall ◽

Wendy McCracken ◽

John Bamford

Keyword(s):

Hearing Screening ◽

Newborn Hearing Screening ◽

Universal Newborn Hearing Screening ◽

Newborn Hearing ◽

The Impact

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The impact of universal newborn hearing screening on long-term literacy outcomes: a prospective cohort study

Archives of Disease in Childhood ◽

10.1136/archdischild-2014-307516 ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 101 (1) ◽

pp. 9-15 ◽

Cited By ~ 36

Author(s):

Hannah Pimperton ◽

Hazel Blythe ◽

Jana Kreppner ◽

Merle Mahon ◽

Janet L Peacock ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Hearing Loss ◽

Cohort Study ◽

Reading Comprehension ◽

Prospective Cohort Study ◽

Prospective Cohort ◽

Hearing Screening ◽

Newborn Hearing Screening ◽

Universal Newborn Hearing Screening ◽

Newborn Hearing ◽

Z Scores

ObjectiveTo determine whether the benefits of universal newborn hearing screening (UNHS) seen at age 8 years persist through the second decade.DesignProspective cohort study of a population sample of children with permanent childhood hearing impairment (PCHI) followed up for 17 years since birth in periods with (or without) UNHS.SettingBirth cohort of 100 000 in southern England.Participants114 teenagers aged 13–19 years, 76 with PCHI and 38 with normal hearing. All had previously their reading assessed aged 6–10 years.InterventionsBirth in periods with and without UNHS; confirmation of PCHI before and after age 9 months.Main outcome measureReading comprehension ability. Regression modelling took account of severity of hearing loss, non-verbal ability, maternal education and main language.ResultsConfirmation of PCHI by age 9 months was associated with significantly higher mean z-scores for reading comprehension (adjusted mean difference 1.17, 95% CI 0.36 to 1.97) although birth during periods with UNHS was not (adjusted mean difference 0.15, 95% CI −0.75 to 1.06). The gap between the reading comprehension z-scores of teenagers with early compared with late confirmed PCHI had widened at an adjusted mean rate of 0.06 per year (95% CI −0.02 to 0.13) during the 9.2-year mean interval since the previous assessment.ConclusionsThe benefit to reading comprehension of confirmation of PCHI by age 9 months increases during the teenage years. This strengthens the case for UNHS programmes that lead to early confirmation of permanent hearing loss.Trial registration numberISRCTN03307358.

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