It is a simple test for hearing loss performed on newborn babies that takes less
than 10 minutes. The procedure begins by placing a little headphone in a baby's ear and playing sound to the ear. If the ear is healthy and working normally, the inner part of the ear produces its own sound. That sound is the otoacoustic emission. Concern arises when no otoacoustic emission is present. This means that the ear isn't healthy and has hearing loss. The significance of this test is to identify hearing loss early in order to make sure the speech and language development of the child is not negatively effected.
Within the last 10 years, most states have begun to implement universal hearing screening programs where babies are screened for hearing loss at the hospital right after they are born. In July 2008, the U.S. Preventative Services Task Force recommended screening for hearing loss in all newborn infants. In Kansas, more than 95 percent of babies are screened every year in hospitals.
Though the current screening for hearing loss in babies is effective, Tiffany A. Johnson, director of the Human Auditory Research Laboratory and her graduate students at the University of Kansas are working on research to improve the stimulus that is placed in the ear to detect mild hearing loss. Their research focuses on breaking down and making better the actual signal put in the baby's ear. Eventually, they hope to change the stimulus already used to a new stimulus which will better detect mild hearing loss in babies, which if not detected, can have educational implications. The research is in the beginning stages and is ongoing.
Numerous studies have shown the most crucial ages for brain development are between birth and 3 years. Hearing plays an important role in speech and language development.
"In the past, we didn't have a wide use of approaches for screening babies for hearing loss so we couldn't identify a child having hearing loss until 2, 3, 4, 5 years of age," Johnson said. "This had lots of long-term consequences because there is a lot of speech and language learning that happens from birth. If a child couldn't hear then they had trouble developing speech and language skills."
Lauren Baranowski, a graduate student helping to conduct this research for her doctorate, said that hearing is crucial because of incidental learning. If children are not hearing the environment around them, if they are not picking up the information, they are not making neural connections about it. Diagnosing and treating hearing loss prior to language development makes a difference.
"Time and time again, it has shown that if we put hearing aids on these kids before they start talking, that it helps them develop closer to their peers," Baranowski said.
During the beginning stages of life it is necessary to develop good speech and language skills.
"The research coming out right now says these kids that we've caught early and we have gotten into therapy and wearing hearing aids or cochlear implants in the first year of life, when we look at them later in life, they have normal language skills," Johnson said.
Cassandra Banks, clinical assistant professor for the Schiefelbusch Speech-Language-Hearing Clinic, said because the effects of hearing loss are not visible, this can create frustration in the day-to-day life of a child living with this disorder.
"Hearing loss has been described as an invisible disability," Banks said. "For a child, this can be devastating. Just imagine this child in a classroom unable to hear the teacher. Or imagine the child on the playground trying to participate in games and conversations."
Early detection and intervention will also help families financially.
"On a global scale, even if you don't have someone with hearing loss in your family, it is going to help taxpayers a lot by identifying these kids early and getting them amplified," Baranowski said. "We are helping to reduce the services they are going to need later on."
Depending on the hearing disorder, balance and motor coordination is also effected.
"We want to know about these problems early because a lot of these kids will have balance problems," Baranowski said.
Kathy Halpin, a speech language pathologist for the Hartley Family Center, specializes in working with children with hearing loss. She also provides services for families, such as teaching the parents how to interact and help their children. Her focus is teaching kids with hearing impairments how to listen and use their voice in learning how to speak. She emphasizes the importance of screening for hearing loss in newborn babies.
"The initial screening is crucial," she said. "Children fit with hearing aids six months or younger do better with learning."
To pay for her research, Johnson received a grant from KU and two additional grants. One is from the American Academy of Audiology and the other from the American Speech Language and Hearing Association.
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