LittlEARS auditory questionnaire as an infant hearing screening in Germany after the newborn hearing screening

Abstract

Objective: To investigate the feasibility of using the LittlEARS® Auditory Questionnaire (LEAQ®) as part of the infant hearing screening programme in Germany.

Design: LEAQ®s were distributed to 47 paediatric practices and were completed by the parents/guardians of the infants (aged between 9-14 months) involved in the study (= LEAQ^® screening). The infants who failed the LEAQ^® screening were invited to a LEAQ rescreening. Infants who failed the LEAQ^® rescreening were sent to a paediatric ENT specialist. After 3 years, a follow-up was performed on two groups: the first group comprised infants who failed the LEAQ screening; the second group (control group) comprised 200 infants who passed the LEAQ screening.

Study Sample: 5316 questionnaires were returned.

Results: Six infants with permanent hearing loss were identified using the LEAQ^® as a screening tool.

Conclusions: An infant hearing screening using the LEAQ^® is easily implementable in paediatric practices and may be a good alternative in countries where no objective screening instruments are available. The LEAQ^® was suitable for monitoring hearing development in infants in general and could help to identify a late-onset or progressive hearing loss in infants.

Keywords:

• late-onset hearing loss
• acquired hearing loss
• progressive hearing loss
• pediatric

Acknowledgements

The corresponding author sincerely thanks MED-EL (Innsbruck, Austria) and the Institute for Audiopaedagogics (IfAP), operated by Frans Coninx (Solingen, Germany), for their support and assistance. The corresponding author would also like to thank Ursula Lehner-Mayrhofer (MED-EL Innsbruck, Austria) for her medical writing services.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Notes

1 The German health-check system for infants and adolescents comprises 13 examinations for early detection of diseases that can be attended on a voluntary basis. 11 health check-ups (U1 to U11) are offered to every infant between birth and ten years of age. 2 check-ups are performed in adolescence: the J1 check-up between 13 and 15 years of age and the J2 check-up between 17 and 18 years of age.