Reliability of parental assessment of auditory skills in young children: a cross-sectional study in Italian language.

Objective: Hearing impairments (HIs) that progress or have later onset may have specific effects on language and cognitive development, but are difficult to suspect during routine primary care visits. Family concern regarding hearing is thought to represent an important risk factor requiring audiological examination. Yet it is not clear how successful parents are in recognising the consequences or specific suspect elements of HI in young children.

Empowering the family during the first months after identification of permanent hearing impairment in children.

The latest international guidelines highlight the importance of involving the family in the diagnostic and rehabilitation process of children affected by permanent hearing impairment. This emphasises how meaningful this approach is for the development of the deaf child. So far, there is very little evidence about this approach in Italy, and there are still some barriers to its practical management.

Achieving early functional auditory access in paediatric cochlear implantation.

Cochlear implantation (CI) is a viable option for providing access to auditory stimulation in severe-to-profound hearing loss/impairment of cochlear origin. It has been demonstrated that CI is safe and effective for deaf children. Younger age at activation after CI is linked with better outcomes.

Achieving effective hearing aid fitting within one month after identification of childhood permanent hearing impairment.

Diagnosis of child permanent hearing impairment (PHI) can be made with extreme timeliness compared to the past thanks to improvements in PHI identification through newborn hearing screening programmes. It now becomes essential to provide an effective amplification as quickly as possible in order to restore auditory function and favour speech and language development. The early fitting of hearing aids and possible later cochlear implantation indeed prompts the development of central auditory pathways, connections with secondary sensory brain areas, as well as with motor and articulatory cortex.

Childhood hearing surveillance activity in Italy: preliminary recommendations.

Following the positive outcomes of the newborn hearing screening programmes already underway in several Italian regions, it is now necessary to address the identification of childhood hearing impairments that missed the neonatal screening programme or have delayed onset. Within the framework of the Ministry of Health project CCM 2013 "Preventing Communication Disorders: a Regional Program for early Identification, Intervention and Care of Hearing Impaired Children", a group of professionals identified three main recommendations that can be useful to improve hearing surveillance activity within the regional and state Italian Health System. The family paediatrician is recognised as having a key role in ongoing monitoring of hearing capacity and development of the growing child.

Improving regional universal newborn hearing screening programmes in Italy.

The Universal Newborn Hearing Screening (UNHS) programme aims at achieving early detection of hearing impairment. Subsequent diagnosis and intervention should follow promptly. Within the framework of the Ministry of Health project CCM 2013 "Preventing Communication Disorders: a Regional Program for early Identification, Intervention and Care of Hearing Impaired Children", the limitations and strengths of current UNHS programs in Italy have been analysed by a group of professionals working in tertiary centres involved in regional UNHS programmes, using SWOT analysis and a subsequent TOWS matrix.

Planning early childhood audiologic intervention programs on a regional scale: introduction to an Italian study.

Non-uniform, late, or inappropriate care of childhood with permanent hearing impairment (PHI) predisposes many children to develop communicative- behaviour problems and impaired psychosocial adjustment that can persist in adolescence and adulthood.In March 2014, the CCM (Centro Controllo Malattie or Disease Control Centre) of the Italian Ministry of Health funded a project entitled " Preventing Communication Disorders: a Regional Program for Early Identification, Intervention and Care of Hearing Impaired Children". The project involved 5 tertiary centres with UNHS programs formally approved by the Region.