Source: DGNews  |  Posted 1 year ago

NEW YORK -- May 13, 2010 -- A study published early online and appearing in the June issue of the journal Pediatrics suggests that children with unilateral hearing loss should be eligible for the same accommodations as children with bilateral hearing loss.

While bilateral hearing loss has been known to cause speech-language and academic delays, health and education professionals have often discounted the effect of hearing loss in a single ear on a child's language skills. These children may not be fitted with hearing aids or receive accommodations for disability.

Judith E.C. Lieu, MD, Department of Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery, Washington University School of Medicine, St Louis, Missouri, and colleagues compared 74 children aged 6 to 12 years with unilateral hearing loss with their siblings (n = 74) who had normal hearing.

Scores on the oral portion of the Oral and Written Language Scales (OWLS) were the primary outcome measure.

Children with unilateral hearing loss scored worse than their siblings on language comprehension (91 vs 98; P = .003), oral expression (94 vs 101; P = .007), and oral composite (90 vs 99; P < .001).

No differences were found between children with right- or left-ear unilateral hearing loss or with varying severity of hearing loss.

The authors concluded that more research is needed to determine when the onset of speech-language delays occurs and the mechanisms through which unilateral hearing loss affects speech-language development, and whether any interventions might mitigate the effects of unilateral hearing loss.

SOURCE: American Academy of Pediatrics