Early Hearing Detection And Intervention

In October 2007 the Joint Committee on Infant Hearing (JCIH) issued its eighth position statement. The JCIH continues to endorse the early hearing detection and intervention (EHDI) for infants with hearing loss. Hearing loss increases with age. In those between 20 and 35 rates of hearing loss are 3% while in those 44 to 55 it is 11% and in those 65 to 85 it is 43%.

The definition has been expanded from congenital permanent bilateral, unilateral sensory, or permanent conductive hearing loss to include neural hearing loss. Audiologists with skills and expertise in evaluating newborn and young infants with hearing loss should provide audiology diagnostic and auditory habilitation services. At least 1 ABR test is recommended as part of a complete audiology diagnostic evaluation for children younger than 3 years for confirmation of permanent hearing loss.

For all infants, regular surveillance of developmental milestones, auditory skills, parental concerns, and middle-ear status should be performed in the medical home, consistent with the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) pediatric periodicity schedule. All infants should have an objective standardized screening of global development with a validated assessment tool at 9, 18, and 24 to 30 months of age or at any time if the health care professional or family has concern.

Early Hearing Detection and Intervention (EHDI) refers to the practice of screening every newborn for hearing loss prior to hospital discharge. There are over 297,900 births in Australia annually. All States and Territories in Australia have universal neonatal hearing screening .