Understanding the Importance of Hearing Loss Identification and Intervention

Early detection of hearing impairments, particularly in young children, is essential. It allows for prompt interventions, positively impacting developmental trajectories.

World Hearing Day (1^✔ ✔Trusted Source
World Hearing Day

) is observed every year on March 3 to raise awareness about hearing impairments as well to clarify societal misperceptions and stigmas. Loss of hearing is the commonest sensory deficit in humans.

“Early detection facilitates the implementation of targeted interventions, thereby optimising language acquisition, academic progress, and overall psychosocial development in affected children,” Dr Ravinder Gera, Senior Director and HOD – ENT, Max Hospital, Gurugram, told IANS.

Timely Hearing Loss Identification for Uninterrupted Speech and Language Development in Children

On the other hand, delayed identification of hearing loss can impede speech and language development, hinder social integration, and compromise cognitive functioning, said the doctor. “The earlier the child is diagnosed with hearing loss and rehabilitated more are the chances of keeping them at par with their peers in terms of speech and language development,” Dr Anish Gupta, Lead ENT Consultant, C K Birla Hospital, Gurugram, told IANS.“This loss is usually sensorineural in nature and there are no medications to treat. Auditory rehabilitation either with hearing aids or cochlear implant surgery if the hearing loss is more profound should be as soon as possible to have good speech and language outcomes,” he added. The doctors also emphasised the need for newborn screening as well as regular screening.

Did You Know?

The World Health Organization (WHO) approximates that around 63 million individuals in India are affected by significant auditory impairment.

This can empower healthcare professionals to provide comprehensive support and resources to families, equipping them with the necessary tools to navigate the challenges associated with raising a child with hearing loss effectively, the health experts noted.“Newborns must be screened for hearing loss as a part of every hospital’s protocol. Sometimes it’s not feasible in small nursing homes where the facilities are not available. Then at least newborns with higher risk (eg. history of meningitis, jaundice, NICU stay, preterm babies) must be evaluated with hearing screening and confirmatory tests,” Dr Anish said.

“Early hearing screenings, administered shortly after birth, serve as the cornerstone for identifying potential auditory impairments, allowing for timely intervention. Interventions, ranging from conventional hearing aids to advanced cochlear implants, coupled with auditory-verbal therapy, aim to mitigate the impact of hearing loss and facilitate optimal communication skills development,” added Dr Ravinder. Further, Dr Anish said that more common and often neglected and preventable hearing loss in children is due to fluid accumulation in the middle ear. This can be due to recurrent respiratory infections, allergies or adenotonsillar hypertrophy.

“Children are usually unaware and don’t complain and this middle ear fluid can gradually affect the health of the eardrum and can lead to middle ear disease in the long run. This is entirely preventable if children between the age group of 3 to 7 years are routinely examined for the presence of middle ear fluid aka otitis media with effusion,” he said.

Reference:

1. World Hearing Day – (https://www.who.int/campaigns/world-hearing-day)

Source-IANS