ABSTRACT
Introduction: The main consequence of hearing loss,especially in children, is the impact caused by sensorydeprivation in the development of auditory and languageskills and learning. Any degree of hearing loss can resultin significant damage, as it interferes with perception andunderstanding of speech sounds.This proposed descriptivecross sectional study tries to compare BERA parametersbetween normal and delayed speech/language impairmentchildren. Study also examines possible abnormalities inBERA in children with speech and language impairment.Material and Methods: One descriptive study withcross-sectional design was conducted in neurophysiologylaboratory in the Department of Physiology, BankuraSammilani Medical College and Hospital for one year.About106 pre-school children (1 to below 6years) of eithersex were selected from those referred from Paediatric andENT Department with complaint of delayed speech who hadbeen advised BERA test. About 105 children without havingdelayed speech development were chosen randomly.Results: Descriptive analysis was done of BERA parametersamong all subjects. Mean and standard deviation of both maleand female were calculated separately. Independent ‘t’ testwas done between the BERA parameters of normal childrenand children diagnosed with speech impairment. The testshowed significant changes (p value <0.05) in waves I, IIIlatency, I-III, I-V, III-V inter peak in study subject.Conclusion: The brainstem speech evoked auditory responsescan serve as an efficient tool in identifying underlying auditoryprocessing difficulties in children with learning disability andcan help in early intervention.