why choose us

300×250 Ad Slot

Research Article: Spoken Expressive Vocabulary in 2-Year-Old Children with Hearing Loss: A Community Study

Date Published: 2023-07-14

Abstract:
Through a cross-sectional community study of 2044 children aged 2 years, we (1) examine the impact of hearing loss on early spoken expressive vocabulary outcomes and (2) investigate how early intervention-related factors impact expressive vocabulary outcomes in children with hearing loss predominantly identified through universal newborn hearing screening. We used validated parent/caregiver-reported checklists from two longitudinal cohorts (302 children with unilateral or bilateral hearing loss, 1742 children without hearing loss) representing the same population in Victoria, Australia. The impact of hearing loss and amplification-related factors on vocabulary was estimated using g-computation and multivariable linear regression. Children with versus without hearing loss had poorer expressive vocabulary scores, with mean scores for bilateral loss 0.5 (mild loss) to 0.9 (profound loss) standard deviations lower and for unilateral loss marginally (0.1 to 0.3 standard deviations) lower. For children with hearing loss, early intervention and amplification by 3 months, rather than by 6 months or older, resulted in higher expressive vocabulary scores. Children with hearing loss demonstrated delayed spoken expressive vocabulary despite whole-state systems of early detection and intervention. Our findings align with calls to achieve a 1-2-3 month timeline for early hearing detection and intervention benchmarks for screening, identification, and intervention.

Introduction:
Universal newborn hearing screening (UNHS) effectively reduces the median age of congenital hearing loss detection [1,2]. This enables earlier diagnosis, hearing amplification, and intervention for deaf and hard-of-hearing (DHH) children, with improved language outcomes reported at school age compared to those detected or amplified later [3,4]. However, these improved language outcomes remain poorer than normative expectations and population means [5]. Therefore, we should continue to seek modifiable factors that…

Read more

300×250 Ad Slot