Razi Journal of Medical Sciences

    Background & Aim: With early detection of hearing loss at younger ages, there is a better chance for normal language and speech development. Delay in diagnosing hearing loss severly affects language/speech development, social abilities, academic progress, psychological status, job opportunities etc. The present study sought to determine the average ages of suspicion, diagnosis, and amplification of profound hearing loss and intervention in deaf children and to compare at-risk and not-at-risk children based on the studied ages. Patients and Methods: This descriptive-analytic study was conducted on 86 children under 6 years of age with profound bilateral hearing loss in Newsha Aural Rehabilitation Center in Tehran from July to December 2005. Data were gathered through the completion of a questionnaire by the childrens parents. Also childrens medical and rehabilitative records were utilized in order to determine the kind and degree of hearing loss. Results: The mean ages of suspicion, diagnosis, amplification, and intervention were 12.61±8.96, 15.24±9.32, 20.59±11.10, and 22.33±11.64 months, respectively there being statistically significant differences between them. Also 47.70% of the children were in the high-risk group, and statistically there were no significant differences between the at-risk and not-at-risk children in the studied ages. Of all the neonatal diseases investigated, hyperbilirubinemia was the most frequent(40.70%), and there were also 4 cases of meningitis and 6 cases of measles. In terms of consanguinity, mating of first cousins was 41.90% and mating of second cousins and farther familial relationships 14%. After suspecting hearing loss in their children, the parents had visited physicians(57%), audiologists(37.20%), speech therapists(2.3%), or other specialists(3.50%) for the first time. The economic circumstances of the families had a significant bearing on the average ages of suspicion, diagnosis, amplification, and intervention. Conclusion: Despite the remarkable improvement in the average ages of suspicion, diagnosis, amplification and intervention in comparison with those reported in a previous study carried out in Iran(2002), there is still noticeable difference between these ages and those suggested by the Joint Committee on Infant Hearing.