Language of early- and later-identified children with hearing loss

Why the study was done

Before newborn hearing screening was common, many children's hearing loss was not found until well after their first birthday. The researchers wanted to know whether finding it in the first months of life makes a difference to language development.

What the researchers did

The study followed 150 deaf or hard-of-hearing children in Colorado: 72 whose hearing loss was identified by 6 months of age and 78 identified later. All had hearing loss in both ears from birth, and most took part in the same home-based early-intervention program. Their language was measured between 13 and 36 months of age using a standard parent questionnaire, and the analysis took the children's thinking skills into account.

What they found

• Children identified by 6 months scored significantly higher in both understanding and using language (an average language score of 79, compared with 64).
• For children with typical thinking skills, the gap was larger: 91 compared with 70.
• The advantage held regardless of gender, ethnicity, family income, degree of hearing loss, or how the child communicated.
• Among children identified later, it did not matter much whether they were found at 7 months or after 2 years.

What this means for families

Early identification matters. If your baby did not pass a newborn hearing screen, or you have any concern about how your child hears or responds to sound, follow up quickly. Language support can start as soon as a hearing loss is found.

Limits of the study

This was an observational study, not a randomized trial, so the authors described the age of identification as the likely explanation rather than a proven cause. Language was measured by parent questionnaire.