subject: The Upside To Early Detection Of Hearing Disabilities [print this page] There are around more than half of babies born in America that do not get identified with hearing impairments until they are about two years which by that time might have already exacerbated said a National Institutes of Health panel. The NIH committee recommended that all babies be given hearing tests within hours of birth, using a new technology that makes it possible to detect deafness in the new born.
The news was very well accepted by the audiences which were healthcare workers who help children who are hearing impaired. The committee put in order by the National Institute of Health claims that one baby in every 1,000 born in the US will be deaf. Due to the current practice that requires doctors to check infants who have a higher risk of getting hearing impairments less than half of the cases are seen early on.
With the proper screening and diagnosis of a child by the time they are three years of says the chairman of the committee and a professor at Loyola University in Chicago then damage to the speech and language capabilities of the child is unalterable.
At present that average age a child can be tested for hearing impairments is two and one half years old though the professor claims they propose to lower this to about 6 months. Doctors can now detect hearing loss on babies and infants at an earlier stage as more efficient technology has risen in the market.
In addition a new way of screening babies is now being suggested which will make use of an instrument that will check for otoacoustic emissions on new born babies.
A device will transmit clicking sounds to the inner ear where it will detect an echo like response and this is what the test involves. The feedback given by the inner ear will be scrutinized through a computer after which it can tell you if there are hearing problems or not.
A system named auditory brainstem responses will be used as confirmation of hearing loss in times when the infant will not get pass the first test. In this second test, there are sensors that will be connected to the head of the baby and then the clicking sound is made. When the sound is heard naturally, then the sensors will show a certain brain wave form.
In both tests, involuntary response to the sound is measured. Having the two test done will cost one some amount of money specifically around $25 for the otoacoustic emission test and about $75 to $125 for the second confirmatory test. The government would have to spend about $150 million to $200 million for babies to be tested after they are born but in the long run this will save those billions since there is an increase in the earning power of those that will seek for treatment earlier.
They say that a loss of $400,000 to $800,000 in lifetime earnings will be expected by a child whose hearing problems will not be detected when they reach 3 years old and above since by this age there will not be speech damage that is permanent. Research shows that students who were seen to have hearing problems later on will only graduate with fourth to seventh grade level reading skills only.
There will really be a difference when hearing loss will be seen early as children can learn how to live in a normal environment and school as opposed to going to a specialized school. Being able to see hearing problems earlier will grant the country more savings.
