Long-term follow-up of children with hearing loss that is minimally progressive.

Objectives: The purpose of this study was to describe changes in audiometric thresholds over time in children whose hearing loss demonstrated early mild progression.

Design: This was a retrospective follow-up study to examine long-term audiologic results in children with progressive loss.

Study Sample: We examined audiologic data for 69 children, (diagnosed from 2003 to 2013), who had been previously categorised as having "minimal" progressive hearing loss.

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.

Benefits of auditory-verbal intervention for adult cochlear implant users: perspectives of users and their coaches.

Objective: Post-implant rehabilitation is limited for adult cochlear implant (CI) recipients. The objective of this research was to capture the perspectives of CI users and their coaches regarding their experiences with auditory-verbal intervention as an example of post-implant rehabilitation and their views on perceived benefits and challenges related to the intervention.

Design: This qualitative study involved semi-structured focus group interviews with adult CI users and their coaches who accompanied them in a 24-week auditory-verbal intervention program.

Cytomegalovirus-A Risk Factor for Childhood Hearing Loss: A Systematic Review.

Objective: Permanent hearing loss is an important public health issue in children with consequences for language, social, and academic functioning. Early hearing detection, intervention, and monitoring are important in mitigating the impact of permanent childhood hearing loss. Congenital cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection is a leading cause of hearing loss.

Clinical characteristics and outcomes of children with cochlear implants who had preoperative residual hearing.

Objective: Cochlear implants (CI) candidacy criteria have expanded to include children with more residual hearing. This study explored the clinical profiles and outcomes of children with CIs who had preoperative residual hearing in at least one ear.

Design: A retrospective chart review was conducted to collect clinical characteristics and speech perception data.

Hearing loss prevalence and hearing health among school-aged children in the Canadian Arctic.

Objective: Hearing loss is an important health concern in Canada's Arctic. The objective of this research was to provide information on the prevalence of childhood hearing loss in Nunavut.

Design: This cross-sectional study involved comprehensive audiologic assessments of school-aged children in six communities to determine overall and community-specific prevalence of hearing loss.

Auditory, Social, and Behavioral Skills of Children With Unilateral/Mild Hearing Loss.

This study explored the impact of mild bilateral or unilateral hearing loss on auditory, social, and behavior skills in early school-aged children. Thirty-two children (aged 5-9 years) were evaluated with parent and teacher questionnaires. Most outcomes were within the range of expected scores.

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.

Exploring reasons for late identification of children with early-onset hearing loss.

Introduction: Several studies have shown that early identification of childhood hearing loss leads to better language outcomes. However, delays in the confirmation of hearing loss persist even in the presence of well-established universal newborn hearing screening programs (UNHS). The objective of this population-based study was to document the proportion of children who experienced delayed confirmation of congenital and early onset hearing loss in a UNHS program in one region of Canada.

Characteristics of children with unilateral hearing loss.

Objective: The purpose of this study was to describe the clinical characteristics of children with unilateral hearing loss (UHL), examine deterioration in hearing, and explore amplification decisions.

Design: Population-based data were collected prospectively from time of diagnosis. Serial audiograms and amplification details were retrospectively extracted from clinical charts to document the trajectory and management of hearing loss.

Progressive Hearing Loss in Early Childhood.

Objectives: Deterioration in hearing thresholds in children is of concern due to the effect on language development. Before universal newborn hearing screening (UNHS), accurate information on the progression of hearing loss was difficult to obtain due to limited information on hearing loss onset. The objective of this population-based study was to document the proportion of children who experienced progressive loss in a cohort followed through a UNHS program in one region of Canada.

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.

Pediatric Cochlear Implantation: Why Do Children Receive Implants Late?

Objectives: Early cochlear implantation has been widely promoted for children who derive inadequate benefit from conventional acoustic amplification. Universal newborn hearing screening has led to earlier identification and intervention, including cochlear implantation in much of the world. The purpose of this study was to examine age and time to cochlear implantation and to understand the factors that affected late cochlear implantation in children who received cochlear implants.

Factors constraining the benefit to speech understanding of combining information from low-frequency hearing and a cochlear implant.

Many studies have documented the benefits to speech understanding when cochlear implant (CI) patients can access low-frequency acoustic information from the ear opposite the implant. In this study we assessed the role of three factors in determining the magnitude of bimodal benefit - (i) the level of CI-only performance, (ii) the magnitude of the hearing loss in the ear with low-frequency acoustic hearing and (iii) the type of test material. The patients had low-frequency PTAs (average of 125, 250 and 500 Hz) varying over a large range (<30 dB HL to >70 dB HL) in the ear contralateral to the implant.

Examination of characteristics and management of children with hearing loss and autism spectrum disorders.

Objective: Up to 40% of children with hearing loss present with other developmental disabilities. The purpose of this study was to document the prevalence of autism spectrum disorders (ASD) in children with permanent hearing loss, to describe the audiologic characteristics, and to examine clinical management.

Design: Prospective data related to clinical characteristics of children identified with hearing loss and ASD were examined.

Long-term outcome after cochlear implantation in children with additional developmental disabilities.

Objective: Candidacy criteria for cochlear implants have expanded to include children with complex developmental disabilities. The aim of this study was to determine the long-term benefits of cochlear implantation for this clinical population.

Design: The study involved a retrospective chart review.

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).

Teachers' perceptions of the inclusion of children with hearing loss in general education settings.

A questionnaire was used to document the attitudes of 63 classroom teachers in Ottawa, Canada, toward inclusive education for students with hearing loss. The objective was to determine whether teachers had the attitudes, knowledge, and teaching skills proposed to underlie the effective inclusion of these students in regular classrooms. It was found that the teachers had favorable attitudes toward inclusion for students with hearing loss, felt confident in their ability to teach them, and were knowledgeable about the effects of hearing loss on language and learning.

Perspectives of young people and their parents in the transition of cochlear implant services: implications for improved service delivery.

Objectives: Youth and young adults with cochlear implants are now transitioning from pediatric to adult services in increasing numbers. Research in other areas of health care has indicated that there is a gap in the transition from pediatric services for the young adult, and that it is important to obtain their perspectives to reduce disruption and improve care. Previous research has documented issues from the perspective of cochlear implant professionals.

Current research with cochlear implants at Arizona State University.

In this article we review, and discuss the clinical implications of, five projects currently underway in the Cochlear Implant Laboratory at Arizona State University. The projects are (1) norming the AzBio sentence test, (2) comparing the performance of bilateral and bimodal cochlear implant (CI) patients in realistic listening environments, (3) accounting for the benefit provided to bimodal patients by low-frequency acoustic stimulation, (4) assessing localization by bilateral hearing aid patients and the implications of that work for hearing preservation patients, and (5) studying heart rate variability as a possible measure for quantifying the stress of listening via an implant. The long-term goals of the laboratory are to improve the performance of patients fit with cochlear implants and to understand the mechanisms, physiological or electronic, that underlie changes in performance.

Facilitating the transition from the pediatric to adult cochlear implant setting: perspectives of CI professionals.

Objectives: Over the last 20 years, the availability of cochlear implantation has resulted in a pediatric population with different health needs than adults who receive cochlear implants (CIs). These pediatric patients are now transitioning to adult hospital settings in significant numbers. This issue of transition is not unique to cochlear implant services: research in other chronic health conditions has documented a variety of challenges for youth and health care providers.