ABSTRACT
The veStibular system is important for the development of normal movement reactions, motion tolerance, and motor control for poStural alignment, balance, and vision
A veStibular system that is damaged by disease or injury in childhood can have a major impact on a child's development In addition, the emergence of veStibular lesions may also lead to cognitive deficits, including attention deficit Despite the advances in testing and documentation of veStibular deficits in children, the veStibular problems continue to be an overlooked entity. Many children do not receive treatment that could significantly improve function and address the developmental delays caused by veStibular disorders
VeStibular rehabilitation therapy [VRT] has been defined as an effective modality for moSt individuals with disorders of the veStibular or central balance system disorders. The basis for the success of VRT is the use of existing neural mechanisms in the human brain for adaptation, plasticity, and compensation. The veStibular syStem cannot be considered as a separate entity ignoring other balance subsystems. Hence, a modified VRT program, named pediatric balance therapy with special modifications in exercises, was developed for children with veStibular disorders, in accordance to the whole balance system
ABSTRACT
Hearing impairment affects all aspect of individual life, specially language and communications skills. When hearing impairment is congenital or occurs early in life, the child's ability to learn optimally through audition will be affected. The aim of this study was to evaluate linguistic skills of preschool hearing impaired children and compare these skills with normal peers. This descriptive cross-sectional study was performed on 38 preschool hearing impaired children that the main handicap was severe to profound hearing loss with ability to communicate orally and 28 normal children with the same culture and social context. Twenty four non linguistic variables including age, gender, the age of entrance of preschool center, number of hearing aids, etc. were obtained by filling a questionnaire and fifteen linguistics variables including number of utterance, morphemes, correct utterance, noun phrase, ambiguous utterance, correct sentences, compound sentences, etc. were collected by some part of TOLD-P-3 test and three complementary questions. Then we compared the data from two groups. There were significant differences between number of utterance, number of correct mean length utterance, number of well-formed sentences in normal and hearing impaired groups [p < 0.000]. There were no significant difference between unintelligible utterances, repetitive utterances and bad-formed sentences between two groups [p > 0.05]. This study showed a severe deficit in linguistic skills in preschool hearing impaired children
Subject(s)
Humans , Male , Female , Language Development Disorders , Child, Preschool , Cross-Sectional Studies , Persons With Hearing Impairments , Speech Perception , Verbal Behavior , Speech DisordersABSTRACT
In September 2002 University of Social Welfare and Rehabilitation Sciences established a pilot universal newborn hearing screening program in two crowded maternity hospital in Tehran. Our objective was to assess the feasibility of implementing universal newborn hearing screening in IRAN. Between September 2002 and March 2004 a total of 7718 newborns were screened for hearing loss prior to discharge from the wellborn nursery at Milad and Hedayat Hospitals. The average age of the subjects at the initial Screening test was 24hours. The program employed a three-stage hearing screening protocol using transient evoked otoacoustic emissions [TEOAE] screening with referral for diagnostic auditory brainstem response assessment. The overall pass rate at the time of hospital discharge was 92.3%, thus achieving an acceptable referral rate of 7.7% for diagnostic audiological assessments. Nine newborns were identified with permanent unilateral hearing impairment. Newborns identified with bilateral hearing loss were immediately referred to the SABA center for hearing aid assessment and fitting. Newborns as young as 5 weeks old were successfully fitted with hearing instruments and enrolled in the family center early intervention program at the SABA center. The frequency of bilateral congenital hearing loss requiring amplification in this population is shown to be approximately 0.001 newborns. This finding is consistent with previous researches, which have indicated hearing loss to be the most frequently occurring birth defect. Universal newborn hearing screening using TEOAEs proved to be a cost effective and feasible method of identifying congenital hearing loss in IRAN. The existence of many successful screening programs worldwide and the availability of fast, objective, reliable and inexpensive hearing screening procedures mean that universal neonatal hearing screening is becoming one of the standards of care