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By Amy Norton<\/b>
HealthDay Reporter<\/i><\/p>\n
MONDAY, Sept. 28, 2020 (HealthDay News)<\/p>\n
When babies<\/a> with hearing<\/a> impairments get help very early in life, they are more likely to be “kindergarten-ready” when the time comes, a new study finds.<\/p>\n In the United States, all states have government-funded “early intervention” programs designed to assist parents whose babies<\/a> are deaf or hard of hearing<\/a>. Ideally, that intervention starts soon after hearing<\/a> issues are diagnosed, as early in life as possible.<\/p>\n Researchers have found that when babies are enrolled in the programs before they are 6 months old, it aids their language development.<\/p>\n The new study suggests it also better prepares them for kindergarten.<\/p>\n In fact, those children were as likely to show “kindergarten readiness” as youngsters with no hearing problems, according to the report published online Sept. 28 in Pediatrics<\/a><\/i>.<\/p>\n “This reinforces what we’ve believed — the earlier we start, the better,” said Adena Dacy, a speech-language pathologist who was not involved in the study.<\/p>\n It’s important that families are aware early intervention services exist, she said, and that they ask for them if their pediatrician has not directed them to resources.<\/p>\n Dacy is associate director of clinical issues in speech-language pathology at the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association.<\/p>\n Jareen Meinzen-Derr, the lead researcher on the new study, agreed that the message is “earlier is better.”<\/p>\n Even when infants are very young, support for parents — focused on how they interact with their hard-of-hearing baby — is crucial.<\/p>\n “We’re trying to prevent [developmental] delays from happening,” said Meinzen-Derr, of Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center.<\/p>\n The findings do leave questions open. There are different types of early intervention services, and it’s not clear how that relates to kids’ kindergarten readiness.<\/p>\n It’s also unclear, Dacy said, whether the services were largely using sign language<\/a>, spoken language or a mix — or how often children had cochlear implants to aid with their hearing.<\/p>\n What the findings do show is support for the grounding principle of state early intervention programs.<\/p>\n The programs have a “1-3-6” goal, Dacy explained. Newborns should be screened for hearing problems before 1 month of age (and ideally in the hospital, right after birth); newborns who fail that screening should have a diagnostic evaluation before 3 months of age; and intervention services should start before the age of 6 months.<\/p>\n Statistics show that most U.S. infants get that newborn<\/a> screening. But not all babies with hearing problems are enrolled in services as early as they should be.<\/p>\n There can be various barriers, according to Meinzen-Derr. Sometimes parents choose to enter later, unaware that earlier is better.<\/p>\n Availability of trained therapists is another issue, especially in rural areas. But the services, which are often delivered at families’ homes, can be done via telehealth when needed, Dacy said.<\/p>\n For the study, Meinzen-Derr’s team analyzed data on 385 Ohio children diagnosed with permanent hearing loss<\/a>. Almost 58% had started intervention before 6 months of age; the rest were enrolled later — usually before they were 1 year old.<\/p>\n Of the children who’d started earlier, 34% showed kindergarten readiness when the time came — on par with Ohio children in general.<\/p>\n In contrast, that was true of only 21% of children who’d started intervention services later, the findings showed.<\/p>\n Readiness means that children have the language and number skills, physical development and social abilities expected by kindergarten age.<\/p>\n Children who aren’t at that level yet are deemed to either be “approaching” readiness or to be “emerging.” Of hearing-impaired children who entered an intervention program early, 34% were in that emerging group, compared to 23% of Ohio children in general.<\/p>\n “That suggests there’s still room for improvement,” Meinzen-Derr said.<\/p>\n One possibility could be to extend the services through pre-school, she noted. Currently, state programs serve children from birth to age 3.<\/p>\n Meinzen-Derr encouraged parents to take any concerns about their baby’s hearing to their pediatrician. That, she said, includes pushing for a timely diagnosis after their baby fails the newborn<\/a> hearing screening, and getting into an intervention program as quickly as possible after a diagnosis is made.<\/p>\n![\"MedicalNews\"](\"https:\/\/images.medicinenet.com\/images\/HealthDay\/healthday.png\")
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