Trajectory of hearing loss in children with unilateral hearing loss.

Introduction: The aim of this study was to quantify the amount of deterioration in hearing and to document the trajectory of hearing loss in early identified children with unilateral hearing loss (UHL). We also examined whether clinical characteristics were associated with the likelihood of having progressive hearing loss.

Methods: As part of the Mild and Unilateral Hearing Loss Study, we followed a population-based cohort of 177 children diagnosed with UHL from 2003 to 2018.

Parent-Reported Stress and Child Behavior for 4-Year-Old Children with Unilateral or Mild Bilateral Hearing Loss.

Children with unilateral or mild bilateral hearing loss are increasingly identified in early childhood. Relatively little is known about how hearing loss affects their developmental trajectory or whether it contributes to parenting stress for these parents. This study aimed to examine child behavior and parenting stress in parents of children with unilateral/mild bilateral hearing loss compared to children with typical hearing.

Parent Report of Amplification Use in Children with Mild Bilateral or Unilateral Hearing Loss.

Background: Amplification is considered to be one of the most important interventions for children with hearing loss. However, achieving consistent use of hearing technology in young children is an important problem, particularly when hearing loss is of mild degree. Little information is available about amplification use specifically for children with mild bilateral or unilateral hearing loss when such losses are targeted and identified early because of the availability of newborn hearing screening.

Service Preferences of Parents of Children With Mild Bilateral or Unilateral Hearing Loss: A Conjoint Analysis Study.

Objective: Universal newborn hearing screening results in substantially more children with mild bilateral and unilateral hearing loss identified in the early years of life. While intervention services for children with moderate loss and greater are generally well-established, considerable uncertainty and variation surrounds the need for intervention services for children with milder losses. This study was undertaken with parents of young children with permanent mild bilateral and unilateral hearing loss to examine their preferences for characteristics associated with intervention services.

Auditory and language outcomes in children with unilateral hearing loss.

Objectives: Children with unilateral hearing loss (UHL) are being diagnosed at younger ages because of newborn hearing screening. Historically, they have been considered at risk for difficulties in listening and language development. Little information is available on contemporary cohorts of children identified in the early months of life.

Communication Development in Early-Identified Children With Mild Bilateral and Unilateral Hearing Loss.

Purpose: This clinical focus article provides preliminary findings from a multicenter longitudinal study investigating auditory and communication development in children with mild bilateral or unilateral hearing loss of any degree.

Method: A total of 100 children (55 with mild bilateral or unilateral hearing loss and 45 with normal hearing) underwent 1 or more assessments from a battery of auditory and language measures.

Results: Children up to age 4 years demonstrated auditory and language skills similar to those of children with normal hearing.

Children With Mild Bilateral and Unilateral Hearing Loss: Parents' Reflections on Experiences and Outcomes.

Children with mild bilateral and unilateral hearing loss are now commonly identified early through newborn hearing screening initiatives. There remains considerable uncertainty about how to support parents and about which services to provide for children with mild bilateral and unilateral hearing loss. The goal of this study was to learn about parents' experiences and understand, from their perspectives, the impact of hearing loss in the mild range on the child's functioning.

Mild bilateral and unilateral hearing loss in childhood: a 20-year view of hearing characteristics, and audiologic practices before and after newborn hearing screening.

Objectives: There is some evidence that the presence of even mild degrees of hearing loss and unilateral loss in early childhood can negatively affect typical development. Consequently, the identification of all children with permanent hearing loss including those with milder degrees of hearing loss is currently targeted through some newborn hearing screening initiatives. The objectives of this study were to document the proportion of children identified with mild bilateral or unilateral hearing loss (MBUHL) before and after the implementation of a universal newborn hearing screening program (UNHS).

Comparison of outcomes in children with hearing aids and cochlear implants.

Objectives: The purpose of this study was to document the performance of a group of children with moderately severe to severe hearing loss who use hearing aids on a range of speech recognition, speech-language, and literacy measures and to compare these results to children with severe to profound hearing loss, who have learned language through cochlear implants.

Methods: This study involved 41 children with bilateral sensorineural hearing impairment, aged 6-18 years. Twenty children had moderately severe/severe hearing loss and used hearing aids, and 21 had severe to profound hearing loss and used cochlear implants.

A descriptive analysis of language and speech skills in 4- to 5-yr-old children with hearing loss.

Objective: Early intervention through hearing aids (HAs) and cochlear implants (CIs) aims to reduce the negative effects of childhood hearing loss and to promote optimal communication development over time. The primary goal of this study was to examine the communication outcomes of children with CIs and children with HAs at age 4 to 5 yrs and to consider their spoken language skills relative to a group of typically developing hearing peers.

Design: In this multicenter observational study, communication results were obtained for a total of 88 children at age 4 to 5 yrs.

Clinical practice for children with mild bilateral and unilateral hearing loss.

Objective: Historically, children with mild bilateral and unilateral hearing loss have been reported to experience difficulties related to language and academic functioning. In the context of Universal Newborn Hearing Screening, there is an increasing focus on determining optimal clinical interventions for this population of children. The objectives of this study were to determine the prevalence of mild bilateral or unilateral hearing loss identified in a clinical population from 1990 to 2006 and to document clinical practices related to recommendations and uptake of amplification.

Bilateral paediatric cochlear implants: a critical review.

A recent trend has been the implantation of bilateral cochlear implants (CIs) for children with severe to profound hearing loss. A review of available research on bilateral CIs was conducted to determine the support for this trend. A replicable review was undertaken to evaluate published research studies that examined the effectiveness of bilateral paediatric cochlear implantation.

Pediatric cochlear implantation: how much hearing is too much?

Audiologic candidacy criteria for determining cochlear implantation candidacy in children are evolving. The objective of the study was to examine clinical practice related to the cochlear implantation of children who typically do not meet audiologic criteria for this technology. Practitioners' perspectives on the process and the factors influencing candidacy decisions were explored through focus group interviews with hospital and school-based practitioners.

Parents' needs following identification of childhood hearing loss.

Purpose: Appropriate support for families of children diagnosed with hearing impairment may have a direct impact on the success of early hearing detection and intervention programs in reducing the negative effects of permanent hearing loss. We conducted a qualitative study to explore parents' needs after learning of their child's hearing loss to better understand the important components of service delivery from families' perspectives.

Method: Semistructured interviews were conducted with 17 families (21 parents) of preschool children in 4 centers in Ontario, Canada.

Parents' preferences for services for children with hearing loss: a conjoint analysis study.

Objective: Early identification of permanent childhood hearing loss through universal newborn hearing screening is rapidly becoming a standard of care. However, it is well recognized that hearing screening must be embedded within a comprehensive system of rehabilitation and parent support services. This study was undertaken with parents of young children with permanent hearing loss to examine their preferences for characteristics associated with intervention services.

The impact of newborn hearing screening on communication development.

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.

Parents' perspectives on the impact of the early diagnosis of childhood hearing loss.

Newborn hearing screening has been widely implemented to improve outcomes for children with permanent hearing loss. This study examined benefits beyond those typically measured clinically, by exploring parents' perceptions of the effects of early/late identification of hearing loss. The parents of 17 children in Ontario, Canada, participated in the study.

Fitting audiology within the population health perspective.

The population health perspective has become increasingly apparent in the medical, public health, and policy literature. This article emphasizes the value of applying the population health perspective and associated frameworks to the rehabilitative sciences and particularly to the field of audiology. Key components of the population health perspective--including the determinants of health, the importance of evidence-based practice, and the value of transdisciplinarity--are used to illustrate the relevance of population health to the field of audiology.