Unlike hearing aids, which amplify sounds to enable a person to hear, cochlear implants use a microphone and mini-computer to help convert everyday sounds into coded electrical pulses. Children who are deaf from birth have the best chance to benefit if implanted early, while the neural pathways in the brain for transmission of sound are still being established. » Read More

Researchers at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill will play a key role in a five-year study aimed at understanding the impact hearing loss can have on children's ability to communicate, succeed in school, and have good social and psychological development.  Results from the study will provide information on the affect of early intervention and amplification devices fitted to infants and young children with mild to severe hearing loss.

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Universal newborn hearing screenings, which are mandatory in more than 40 states, identify hearing issues immediately.  But there is a need for a reliable and practical way to estimate how improved hearing affects listening and vocalizing during the first years of life.  Researchers have come up with a new assessment tool, a game-like activity to monitor early auditory-guided speech development in infants and toddlers. » Read More

One of the more difficult tasks an audiologist has to face is fitting a hearing instrument for young children with hearing loss.  With the help of the latest findings from the field of pediatric audiology, Siemens Audiology has developed a reprogrammable hearing aid designed to adapt along with the hearing changes of the growing child. » Read More

In a recent study, John E. McClay, M.D., and colleagues at University of Texas at Southwestern Medical Center and Children's Medical Center Dallas used magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to detect soft-tissue defects that contribute to hearing loss in children. » Read More

Early studies indicated that children who are deaf or hard of hearing and not identified as newborns and did not receive early intervention (EI) for language development steadily fell behind their hearing peers in language, cognitive performance, social skills, literacy, and academic skills with increasing age.  National recommendations for early hearing detection and intervention (EHDI) have been strengthened to include universal screening by 1 month of age, detection before 3 months, and appropriate intervention no later than 6 months. » Read More

Detecting hearing loss in infants and toddlers can be tricky, especially when the child haven't developed speech.  According to the Better Hearing Institute, it is estimated that 33 babies per day are born with serious to profound hearing loss.  Many state laws require that newborns have a hearing evaluation before they leave the hospital or within one month of birth. Infants who fail the hearing test are referred to an ear, nose and throat specialist (ENT) or audiologist for a medical evaluation and hearing test.

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Infants with permanent hearing loss who are enrolled in an early intervention program before the age of 3 months may benefit in terms of language development.  Children with hearing loss who received intervention services before 6 months of age had language scores comparable to those of hearing children at 3 years of age. » Read More

Gurgling noises and playful sounds are all part of a baby's development.   A baby should respond to sound from an early age, but what if your baby cannot hear? Hearing loss affects between three and six children per 1 000 and if a child cannot hear, it will affect the development of language.  Doctors suggest that the earlier hearing loss is detected in a baby, the better the outcome will be. » Read More

Childhood deafness needs to be diagnosed and treated as early as possible.  Doctors emphasize that early diagnosis has a major impact on the child's power of speech.  Once deafness is detected, treatment is required soon, because after about five years of age whatever is done to correct deafness might not give the child speech, which is a pity in light of revolutionary treatment methods for deafness now available. » Read More