Socio-economic disparities in the psychosocial and economic impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on children and young people in Australia.

Aims: While COVID-19 no longer presents a global health emergency, the indirect (non-infection) impacts of the pandemic may exacerbate health inequalities in years to come. We examined the socio-economic distribution of the impacts of the pandemic on the psychosocial and economic well-being of children, young people and their families.

Methods: The CoRonavIruS Health Impact Survey (CRISIS) was conducted in seven existing longitudinal cohorts, together involving n = 3072 participants aged 0-19 years.

Is COVID-19 infection during pregnancy a risk for congenital hearing loss?

Objective: Infections during pregnancy can increase the risk of congenital hearing loss. This population-based study investigated the effect of birthing parent COVID-19 infection during pregnancy on risk of congenital hearing loss in infants.

Methods: Records of infants born in 2022 were reviewed via a retrospective clinical audit of a universal state-wide newborn hearing screening program in Victoria, Australia.

Polygenic Risk Scores and Hearing Loss Phenotypes in Children.

Importance: Monogenic causes of childhood hearing loss are well established, as are polygenic risk contributions to age-related hearing loss. However, an untested possibility is that polygenic risk scores (PRS) also contribute to childhood hearing loss of all severities, alongside environmental and/or monogenic causes.

Objective: To examine the association between a PRS for adult hearing loss and childhood hearing loss phenotypes.

Hearing Screening for Congenital CytoMegaloVirus-Exploring Parents' Experiences of Completing Targeted Congenital Cytomegalovirus Screening at the Time of Their Infants' Newborn Hearing Screening.

Congenital cytomegalovirus (cCMV) is the leading infectious cause of sensorineural hearing loss and neurodevelopmental disabilities, with prompt detection (<21 days of life) required to enable accurate diagnosis and anti-viral treatment where clinically appropriate. International guidelines recommend cCMV screening for infants who do not pass their Universal Newborn Hearing Screening (UNHS). This study aimed to explore parental experiences of targeted cCMV screening through the UNHS in Victoria, Australia between 2019 and 2020 (HearS-cCMV study).

Australian families of deaf and hard of hearing children: Are they using sign?

Background: Deaf and hard of hearing (DHH) children may experience communication delays, irrespective of early intervention and technology. Australian Sign Language (Auslan) is one approach in early intervention to address language delays. Current prevalence of Auslan use among Australian families with DHH children is unknown.

Asymptomatic viruses detectable in saliva in the first year of life: a narrative review.

Viral infections are common in children. Many can be asymptomatic or have delayed health consequences. In view of increasing availability of point-of-care viral detection technologies, with possible application in newborn screening, this review aimed to (1) identify potentially asymptomatic viruses detectable in infants under one year old, via saliva/nasopharyngeal swab, and (2) describe associations between viruses and long-term health conditions.

Emotional behavioral outcomes of children with unilateral and mild hearing loss.

Background: Deaf and hard-of hearing (DHH) children often experience emotional/behavioral difficulties. The impact of unilateral/mild hearing loss (HL) on children's emotion and behavior are unclear. We aimed to describe emotional/behavioral, health related quality-of-life (HRQoL) and parent psychological distress outcomes of school-age children with unilateral/mild HL, compared to children with moderate to profound HL, and in relation to population norms; and identify predictive factors of emotional/behavioral difficulties.

Language and health-related quality of life outcomes of children early-detected with unilateral and mild bilateral hearing loss.

Introduction: We aimed to describe the language and health-related quality of life (HRQoL) outcomes of children early-identified with unilateral or mild bilateral permanent hearing loss. This was a cross-sectional community-based study of children with mild bilateral or unilateral permanent hearing loss (including unilateral auditory neuropathy spectrum disorder (ANSD)), drawn from a population-based databank in Victoria, Australia.

Methods: Enrolment in this databank is independent of early intervention and amplification approaches.

Mild matters: trial learnings and importance of community engagement in research for early identified bilateral mild hearing loss.

Introduction: Early identification of mild hearing loss has resulted in early hearing amplification without adequate evidence of effectiveness. This paper describes learnings from a pilot trial, combined with a qualitative study, to highlight the importance of community engagement in designing research studies to determine whether early amplification benefits young children with bilateral mild hearing loss.

Methods: PART 1 of the study is a proof-of-concept non-blinded multi-centre randomised controlled trial (RCT) of hearing device fitting vs.

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

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.

Socio-Emotional Experiences and Wellbeing of Deaf and Hard of Hearing Children and Their Parents before and during the COVID-19 Pandemic.

Deaf and hard of hearing (DHH) children in Victoria, Australia, were exposed to strict public health restrictions, including sustained lockdowns, during the COVID-19 pandemic. DHH children have higher health and socio-emotional needs than their hearing peers. We aimed to (1) describe the socio-emotional experiences of DHH children and their parents and (2) compare child and parent socio-emotional wellbeing, before and during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Factors that influence health service access in deaf and hard-of-hearing children: a narrative review.

Objectives: Early diagnosis and intervention of deaf and hard-of-hearing (DHH) children leads to improved language and psychosocial outcomes. However, many child, parent and provider related factors can influence access to early intervention services, including hearing devices. This narrative review aims to explore factors that influence health service access in DHH children.

Targeted screening for congenital cytomegalovirus: A micro-costing analysis.

Aim: We aimed to determine the cost and potential cost-savings of delivering a targeted congenital cytomegalovirus (cCMV) screening programme through a universal newborn hearing screening (UNHS) programme to detect cCMV-related hearing loss in infants from Victoria, Australia.

Methods: We completed a micro-costing analysis from a health-care perspective using data from a targeted cCMV screening programme piloted between June 2019 and March 2020. The programme involved collection of saliva samples to test for cCMV in infants who: received a 'refer' result on their second newborn hearing screen; were aged 21 days or less; and born at one of four maternity hospitals in Victoria, Australia.

Accessing hearing-health services for deaf and hard-of-hearing children during the COVID-19 pandemic: Parent and child perspectives.

To describe hearing-health service use, especially use of telehealth, during the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic in deaf/hard-of-hearing children. In 2020, the Victorian Childhood Hearing Longitudinal Databank surveyed 497 (61.6%) families of deaf/hard-of-hearing children aged 0.

Predictors of Early Language Outcomes in Children with Connexin 26 Hearing Loss across Three Countries.

GJB2-associated hearing loss (GJB2-HL) is the most common genetic cause of hearing loss in children. However, little is known about the clinical characteristics and early language outcomes in population-oriented samples including children with different degrees of hearing loss. Insight into these characteristics are relevant for the counselling of parents.

Exploring Parent Support Needs during the Newborn Hearing Diagnosis Pathway.

Universal newborn hearing screening (UNHS) facilitates early detection of permanent congenital hearing loss in newborns. In recognition of specific needs among parents, support services have been established within some UNHS programs, including the Victorian Infant Hearing Screening Program (VIHSP). Despite this, there is limited research about how to best support parents in the context of well-established UNHS programs.

Does inflammation mediate the association between obesity and hearing status in mid-childhood and mid-life?

Background: Obesity is characterized by heightened inflammation, and both phenotypes are associated with hearing loss. We aimed to determine if inflammation mediates the associations between obesity and hearing ability in mid-childhood and mid-life.

Methods: Participants: 1165 11- to 12-year-old children and 1316 parents in the population-based cross-sectional Child Health CheckPoint within the Longitudinal Study of Australian Children.

Feasibility and acceptability of targeted salivary cytomegalovirus screening through universal newborn hearing screening.

Aim: This study aimed to determine the feasibility and parental acceptability of screening for congenital cytomegalovirus (cCMV) through saliva polymerase chain reaction in infants who did not pass their newborn hearing screening. Additionally, the utility (i.e.