Implementation and evaluation of a rural community-based pediatric hearing screening program integrating in-person and tele-diagnostic auditory brainstem response (ABR).

Background: In an attempt to reach remote rural areas, this study explores a community-based, pediatric hearing screening program in villages, integrating two models of diagnostic ABR testing; one using a tele-medicine approach and the other a traditional in-person testing at a tertiary care hospital.

Methods: Village health workers (VHWs) underwent a five day training program on conducting Distortion Product Oto Acoustic Emissions (DPOAE) screening and assisting in tele-ABR. VHWs conducted DPOAE screening in 91 villages and hamlets in two administrative units (blocks) of a district in South India.

Tele-ABR using a satellite connection in a mobile van for newborn hearing testing.

We assessed the feasibility of conducting Auditory Brainstem Response (ABR) testing in a mobile van with satellite connectivity, with the help of trained health workers. ABR recordings in newborn babies made by telemedicine were compared with recordings made face to face. The auditory evoked response equipment was controlled by an audiologist at a nearby hospital.

Mismatch negativity in children with dyslexia speaking Indian languages.

Background: Several studies in the past have found that phonological processing is abnormal in children with dyslexia. Phonological processing depends on the phonological rules of the language learnt. Western languages do not have a good phoneme to grapheme correspondence while many of the Indian languages do have it.