RESUMO
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.
RESUMO
Background: Newborn hearing screening is conducted to identify suspected hearing loss and not to confirm the presence/absence of hearing loss or define features of the loss. Speech and hearing are interrelated, i.e., a problem with one could mean a problem with the other as speech and language is acquired normally through auditory system.Methods: A descriptive study conducted in the Department of Paediatrics, Dr. S. N. Medical College, Jodhpur, from June 2016 to December 2017. 5000 neonates were screened using otoacoustic emissions (OAE) in 2 stages at birth during 3rd to 7th day and 15-30 days respectively, followed by BERA at 3 months of age.Results: 1.4 infants per thousand infants had hearing loss. Presence of high-risk factors was seen to be associated be associated with hearing loss more than normal infants on screening with distortion product otoacoustic emissions (DPOAE) tests. However, on testing with BERA no such association was seen.Conclusions: 1.4 per 1000 infants had hearing loss. This study has shown that two stage distortion product otoacoustic emissions (DPOAE) hearing screening followed by british educational research association '(BERA) to confirm the hearing deficit, can be successfully implemented as new born hearing screening method in a hospital set-up, for early detection of hearing impaired, on a large scale, to achieve the high-quality standard of screening programs in a resource limited and developing nation like India.