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ABSTRACT
This work examined speech and language skills of a cohort of children with unilateral and bilateral mild/moderate hearing loss at time of discharge from preschool therapy services as they were transitioning to the school system. The study consisted of a retrospective chart review of children born between 2003 and 2011 and identified with a unilateral or a bilateral hearing loss up to 55 dB. Speech and language outcomes measures were obtained from three different tests commonly administered as part of the therapy protocol. Comparisons were made with normative data. A total of 238 children were diagnosed with a permanent unilateral or bilateral hearing loss by six years of age. Speech language standardised test scores were available for 74 children (65 English-speaking, 9 French-speaking). While overall results on all outcome measures remained within the expected range for children with typical hearing, of the 65 children with speech and language outcomes, 13 of 52 (25.0%) and 15 of 53 (28.3%) obtained lower scores on expressive communication and articulation, respectively, compared to children with typical hearing. These children were identified and fitted with hearing aids at a later age. Findings of this study suggest possible benefits of early identification and intervention and warrant additional research on early-identified children with unilateral or mild/moderate bilateral hearing loss.
Acknowledgements
We would like to thank the auditory-verbal therapists who helped clarify chart information for the study. E. Fitzpatrick also acknowledges support from the Ontario Ministry of Research and Innovation (Early Researcher Award).
Disclosure statement
No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).
Correction Statement
This article has been republished with minor changes. These changes do not impact the academic content of the article.
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Notes on contributors
Flora Nassrallah
Flora Nassrallah is a research associate at the University of Ottawa. She is involved in pediatric hearing loss research in the Child Hearing Laboratory at the Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario Research Institute. In particular, she has been working on projects focused on children with mild/unilateral hearing loss as well as a project on Francophone children with hearing loss living in French minority settings.
JoAnne Whittingham
JoAnne Whittingham is the Research Coordinator for the Child Hearing Lab at the Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario Research Institute. She has coordinated numerous studies related to hearing loss in children as well as studies related to adults with cochlear implants. Current research projects are focused on children with mild and unilateral hearing loss as well as the epidemiology of pediatric hearing disorders in general.
Huidan Sun
Huidan Sun is a Speech-Language Pathologist who is active both in clinical and research settings. She works with various pediatric populations within the Ottawa region through her work as a research member of the Child Hearing Laboratory at the Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario Research Institute and as a First Words clinician. Her areas of interest are in regard to the impact of hearing loss in children with language/developmental delays and the development of standardized clinical tools, in particularly in French.
Elizabeth M. Fitzpatrick
Elizabeth M. Fitzpatrick is a Full Professor in the Faculty of Health Sciences at the University of Ottawa and a Senior Scientist at the Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario Research Institute. She has authored books and articles related to hearing loss in children and adults. Her current research is focused on the epidemiology of pediatric hearing disorders and on communication and related developmental outcomes for children with hearing loss.