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TUESDAY, Oct. 23 (HealthScoutNews) -- Screening newborns for hearing loss is highly effective, but there is no clear evidence that it improves long-term language skills in children with hearing problems, a study finds. That assessment is not a thumbs-down for universal screening to detect newborn hearing problems, says study leader Diane C. Thompson, an epidemiologist at the Harborview Injury Prevention and Research Center in Seattle. "We're concerned that the media will interpret our report to say we are not in favor of universal screening, and that is not true. It's just that the evidence to show whether universal screening can improve language skills for these children is not clear," she says. Hearing loss affects about one of every 900 to 2,500 babies born in the United States, and about 5,000 infants are born with moderate to profound deafness every year. Because hearing during the first six months of life is critical to development of speech and language, 33 states now mandate hearing tests for all newborns. Ohio, where a screening bill is moving through the legislature, may soon become number 34. Text Continues Below
With financing from the U. S. Preventive Task Force, a federal organization, Thompson and her colleagues looked at 340 scientific articles, selecting 19 that offered solid evidence about the value of universal screening in preventing language problems. Their findings appear in the Oct. 24/31 issue of The Journal of the American Medical Association. One thing that quickly became evident is that today's tests are highly effective, Thompson says. "Modern hearing tests make it possible to screen newborns with high specificity and sensitivity," she says. "They've gotten better and better in the last five or six years." One kind of test measures response to sound through a small probe inserted in a baby's ear canal. Another uses electrodes placed on the scalp to detect activity in the brain stem's auditory region. Both tests are at least 80 percent effective in detecting moderate hearing loss and at least 90 percent effective in detecting profound deafness, the journal report says. Page: 1 | 2 | Next >>
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