Children With Hearing Loss Often Don't Receive Needed
Care
Editor: We've made a lot of progress in ensuring that infants receive
appropriate hearing screenings, but we still have a long ways to go!
Here's the story from the folks at AG Bell and the National Center for
Hearing Assessment and Management.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
May 2007
-- Former Surgeon General Dr. C. Everett Koop Joins Pediatrics and
Education Experts to Discuss How to Close Remaining Gaps --
Hearing loss is the most common birth defect, yet one-third of babies
who fail their newborn hearing screening do not receive a confirmed
diagnosis, and many do not receive follow-up care, according to national
data released today by the Alexander Graham Bell Association for the
Deaf and Hard of Hearing (AG Bell) and the National Center for Hearing
Assessment and Management (NCHAM). These gaps can hinder children's
language development.
"The options for children with hearing loss are much greater now
than ever before, but we need to do better at making the options
available to them," said former Surgeon General Dr. C. Everett
Koop, who joined experts from the U.S. Department of Education and
American Academy of Pediatrics at a panel discussion today about
potential solutions. "Children with hearing loss can achieve
academic success on par with their hearing peers, but they need access
to early diagnosis and intervention and the help of advanced hearing
technologies and speech and language training."
Data Show Gaps Remain, Despite Progress
The national Early Hearing Detection and Intervention (EHDI) data
revealed some improvement since the last time national data were
collected, though gaps in care still remain. In particular, state EHDI
program coordinators report that:
a.. 34 percent of babies who failed their newborn hearing screening
did not receive a confirmation of a diagnosis after their initial
screening - down from nearly 50 percent between 1999 and 2004. b..
Nearly a quarter (23 percent) of babies who did receive a confirmed
diagnosis still failed to be referred to early intervention services
that could help them. "Since the first federal EHDI legislation was
passed in 1999, states have placed increased emphasis on better
coordination with existing early childhood programs, greater involvement
from primary health care providers and more resources devoted to
educating families about the importance of identifying hearing loss as
early as possible," said Karl White, Ph.D., director of NHCAM.
"Reauthorization of EHDI legislation currently under consideration
by both the House and Senate will help to ensure that positive trend
will continue."
The data are collected periodically by NCHAM to assess America's
progress in providing screening and early intervention services for
children with hearing loss. Ten years ago, only seven states had laws
mandating newborn hearing screenings. Today, 40 states and the District
of Columbia have EHDI laws, and more than 95 percent of babies are now
screened for hearing loss at birth. The average age hearing loss is
identified has been reduced from 30 to three months.
"We have made tremendous progress, yet most parents still are
not prepared for hearing loss or aware of the options for addressing
it," said Karen Youdelman, Ed.D., president of AG Bell. "There
is no time to waste. We have a responsibility to make sure families know
that children begin to learn language by hearing it first and that the
first few months in a baby's life are the most important."
Education and New Legislation Can Help
AG Bell is working through its chapters to raise awareness among
pediatricians, hospital staff and parents about how to ensure early
diagnosis and intervention for children who are deaf or hard of hearing.
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services urges parents to have
their baby's hearing screened before they are 1 month old and to
complete diagnostics and enrollment in early intervention as soon as
possible thereafter; in most cases, this should happen within a few
weeks. Because as many as 30 percent of children with hearing loss are
identified after they passed their newborn screening, AG Bell also
emphasizes ongoing attention to the signs of hearing loss.
In February, Reps. Lois Capps (CA) and James T. Walsh (NY) and 23
others introduced the Early Hearing Detection and Intervention Act of
2007 (H.R. 1198) to improve the early detection, diagnosis and treatment
of hearing loss in young children. The legislation would reauthorize the
EHDI grant program, which funds statewide programs that screen newborns
for hearing loss before they leave the hospital. The legislation also
seeks to expand states' abilities to enroll identified babies in early
intervention programs, offer coordinated support to families of young
children with hearing loss and address the shortage of trained health
providers. A companion bill (S. 1069) was introduced in the Senate by
Sens. Olympia Snowe (ME) and Tom Harkin (IA) in March.
Role of the Medical Home
"The American Academy of Pediatrics is proud to do its part to
raise awareness of childhood hearing loss," said Frank Aiello,
M.D., FAAP, member of the American Academy of Pediatrics Task Force on
Improving Early Hearing Detection and Intervention. "We are
committed to working with other organizations to provide a medical home
to every child with hearing loss and ensure that families understand the
full range of language and educational opportunities available to their
children."
About the Alexander Graham Bell Association for the Deaf and Hard of
Hearing
The Alexander Graham Bell Association for the Deaf and Hard of
Hearing helps families, health care providers and education
professionals understand childhood hearing loss and the importance of
early diagnosis and intervention. Through advocacy, education, research
and financial aid, AG Bell helps to ensure that every child with hearing
loss has the opportunity to learn to listen and talk. www.agbell.org
About the National Center for Hearing Assessment and Management
In 1995, the National Center for Hearing Assessment and Management (NCHAM)
was established at Utah State University to assist state-based EHDI
programs to ensure that all infants are screened for hearing loss at
birth, and that infants who refer from screening receive timely and
appropriate diagnostic and intervention services. www.infanthearing.org
AG Bell and NCHAM thank Advanced Bionics (www.bionicear.com) and the
Bionic Ear Association for demonstrating their dedication to helping
individuals and families with hearing loss and the professionals who
serve them by supporting this initiative.
