Early Identification: An Opportunity and Challenge for Audiology

Abstract

It has been suggested that the early identification of hearing loss affects several aspects of children's development and is not restricted to audition and auditory skill development. This article highlights the importance of early identification for personal-social development and receptive and expressive language development. The language skills of early identified children were considered a function of several demographic variables, including mode of communication, socioeconomic status, ethnicity, age at test, and gender. No significant differences in language development were found when early identified children were compared according to these demographic variables. Although the mean language scores for early identified children were within the low normal range, their developmental quotients were significantly lower than those reported for normal-hearing children. Consequently, several goals were highlighted for improving early intervention outcomes

Key Words:

Early identification - language development - personal-social development