The hearing-impaired infant: patterns of identification and habilitation revisited.

This study is a follow-up of an 1980-1982 study that examined the occurrence of risk factors and the patterns of identification and habilitation in a group of hearing-impaired infants from an urban setting. Current findings covering the period 1983-1988, indicate that only one out of three hearing-impaired infants can be expected to be identified through audiological screening programs in Neonatal Intense Care Units (NICUs) and although the age at diagnosis for NICU graduates is significantly earlier than for Well Baby Nursery (WBN) graduates, age at enrollment in a parent-infant program for both NICU and WBN infants is around 20 months. Over the 8 year period covered by our two studies, the age hearing-impaired infants are enrolled in habilitation has remained a year or more later than the 6 month ideal recommended in 1982 by the Joint Committee on Infant Hearing.

Hearing loss in an institutionalized mentally retarded population. Identification by auditory brainstem response.

We report the results of auditory brainstem response testing of 122 profoundly retarded institutionalized children, a segment of the retarded population heretofore generally regarded as untestable by behavioral audiometry. Major findings include: 32% of the study population showed, by auditory brainstem response, hearing loss exceeding 20 decibels of hearing level in one or both ears (12% showed conductive loss and 20% sensorineural loss); of the 15.6% with evidence of bilateral sensorineural loss, 7.37% had losses in the 30- to 50-dB range, and 8.19% had losses of 60 dB or greater; and evidence of abnormal brain-stem function was found in 11%. Results of otologic examinations and audiologic habilitative follow-up in selected children are also reported.