Testing Small Children's Hearing with Little Or No Equipment
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Community Ear Hearing Volume 12 & Health Issue 16 • 2015 Parents and health workers must work as a team to identify hearing loss as early as possible. MADAGASCAR ANDREW SMITH Testing small children’s hearing with little or no equipment Kristine Valencia earing loss should be identified as early in exist to detect hearing loss in children of various age Audiologist, life as possible. In developing countries, the groups, which can be performed by health workers Visayas Hearing Center, Hinterval between the onset of hearing loss in the community when a child is suspected of Philippines and its identification is still unacceptably long having a hearing impairment or belongs to a ‘high in most cases. There is a lack of risk’ group. As the validity of these trained personnel and testing tests depends mainly on the skill of equipment to facilitate early Trained primary the health worker in correctly detection of hearing impairment in health workers can performing the test and interpreting children, both in the community “ the child’s response, primary health as well as in rural health centres. have a frontline workers will need sufficient training In addition, although parents are role in suspecting and experience. Children who fail often the first to suspect their the initial screening should then be child’s hearing impairment, most of hearing loss sent for further hearing evaluation them consider it a low priority and to an audiologist. are also at a loss as to where and ” Primary health workers can help how to obtain a consultation. As a result, many communities to understand common ear diseases children with impaired hearing are not diagnosed and hearing loss and can advise them on the signs to early enough. look for and when to seek help. Parents, caregivers and health workers must work as a team within the Role of primary health workers in community to detect the signs and signals of hearing impairment, so that affected children can receive suspecting hearing loss timely support and intervention. Trained primary health workers can have a Primary health workers can also play a vital role in frontline role in suspecting and detecting hearing encouraging people to contribute to the prevention loss. There is a growing scarcity of nurses and health of ear and hearing problems, since fifty per cent of professionals and, in some areas, primary health the causes of ear disease and hearing loss could be workers are the only health professionals whom avoided through measures in the community and at people have access to. Simple screening methods the basic level of health care. Community Ear & Hearing Health Volume 12 • Issue 16 (2015) 1 Introduction IN THIS ISSUE About this issue 1 Testing small ANDREW SMITH children’s hearing arly identification of hearing loss in children with little or no leads to improved development, communication, equipment educational achievements and employment Kristine Valencia E prospects. It has lifelong benefits even when the 3 How newborn and hearing-impaired child does not have access to infant carers can the full range of follow-up services that may be enable early available in high-income countries. detection of The previous issue of Community Ear and Hearing hearing loss Health detailed the many advantages of newborn Diego J Santana -Hernández hearing screening. However, if systematic hearing screening has not yet been implemented in your Children of all ages can benefit from the detection of Informal country and you have no specialised equipment at 5 hearing loss. MADAGASCAR assessment of your disposal, something can still be done at primary behaviour as level to suspect hearing loss in young children. The These tests require no equipment, but please note an indicator of present issue describes simple tests and checks that they need to be performed in a quiet room by a hearing difficulties Jackie Clark can be performed by primary level health workers person able to hear the sounds used at all testing after a short training period. These have been levels. Attention should also be paid not to give any 7 The distraction ordered according to the approximate age at which other sensory cues to the child being tested, such as test for checking they can be performed (see also Table below). visual or olfactory cues. hearing in a low-resource setting TABLE 1 SIMPLE WAYS TO CHECK A CHILD’S HEARING Frances Tweedy What primary health workers From what age? Where in this issue? 10 Performance test can do of hearing in a low-resource Ask parents questions about high From birth Page 3 setting risk indicators Valerie E Newton Ask parents questions about From birth Pages 3–4 12 Suspecting hearing potential causes of hearing loss loss in early childhood Ask parents questions about From birth Page 4 hearing and speech milestones Whispered voice test From 12 months Page 5 Finger rub test From 12 months Page 5 Test the child’s response to From 6 months to 36 months Pages 5–6 listening activities Ask parents (or the child, if older) From 3 years to 12 years Page 6 about the child’s listening difficulties in various situations Distraction test From 7 months to 18 months Pages 7–9 Performance test From 2½ years Pages 10–11 This journal is funded by CBM Community Editor Editorial assistant please send your name, please contact Joanna Ear Hearing Volume 12 Dr Paddy Ricard Joanna Anderson occupation, postal address, Anderson (as above). Health Issue 16 • 2015 & phone number and email Editorial committee Design Correspondence address to: Joanna Anderson, Parents and health Dr Diego J Santana- Lance Bellers Please send all enquiries to: workers must work as a team to identify hearing Community Ear and Hearing loss as early as possible. MADAGASCAR ANDREW SMITH Hernández (Chair) Joanna Anderson (for Printing Health, International Centre Dr Ian Mackenzie for Eye Health, London contact details, see left). Testing small children’s hearing Newman Thomson with little or no equipment Professor Valerie E Newton School of Hygiene and Copyright earing loss should be identified as early in exist to detect hearing loss in children of various age Kristine Valencia Online edition Audiologist, life as possible. In developing countries, the groups, which can be performed by health workers Visayas Hearing Center, Hinterval between the onset of hearing loss in the community when a child is suspected of Dr Padman Ratnesar Tropical Medicine, Keppel Philippines and its identification is still unacceptably long having a hearing impairment or belongs to a ‘high Articles may be photocopied, in most cases. There is a lack of risk’ group. As the validity of these trained personnel and testing tests depends mainly on the skill of See ‘Publications’ on http:// equipment to facilitate early Trained primary the health worker in correctly detection of hearing impairment in health workers can performing the test and interpreting Dr Tony Sirimanna Street, London WC1E 7HT, children, both in the community “ the child’s response, primary health reproduced or translated, as well as in rural health centres. have a frontline workers will need sufficient training In addition, although parents are role in suspecting and experience. Children who fail disabilitycentre.lshtm.ac.uk often the first to suspect their the initial screening should then be child’s hearing impairment, most of hearing loss sent for further hearing evaluation United Kingdom. Email: them consider it a low priority and to an audiologist. Professor Andrew Smith provided they are not used are also at a loss as to where and ” Primary health workers can help how to obtain a consultation. As a result, many communities to understand common ear diseases children with impaired hearing are not diagnosed and hearing loss and can advise them on the signs to early enough. look for and when to seek help. Parents, caregivers [email protected] and health workers must work as a team within the How to subscribe for commercial or personal Role of primary health workers in community to detect the signs and signals of hearing impairment, so that affected children can receive suspecting hearing loss timely support and intervention. Special advisor for Issue 16 Trained primary health workers can have a Primary health workers can also play a vital role in frontline role in suspecting and detecting hearing encouraging people to contribute to the prevention The journal is sent free of We recommend that readers profit. Acknowledgements loss. There is a growing scarcity of nurses and health of ear and hearing problems, since fifty per cent of professionals and, in some areas, primary health the causes of ear disease and hearing loss could be workers are the only health professionals whom avoided through measures in the community and at Professor Valerie E Newton people have access to. Simple screening methods the basic level of health care. charge to readers working in in high-income countries should be made to the Community Ear & Hearing Health Volume 12 • Issue 16 (2015) 1 Regional consultant low- and middle-income make an annual donation author(s) and to Community Dr Jose M Acuin (Philippines) countries. To subscribe, of UK £10. To subscribe, Ear and Hearing Health. 2 Community Ear & Hearing Health Volume 12 • Issue 16 (2015) History taking and examination How newborn and infant carers can From enable early detection of hearing loss birth Diego J Santana omprehensive universal newborn screening INDICATORS ASSOCIATED WITH A HIGH RISK -Hernández programmes are often not affordable or OF HEARING LOSS* ENT Surgeon, accessible in many low- and middle-income C Any family history of hereditary permanent CBM’s Senior Advisor for countries (LMIC). However, history taking and • Ear and Hearing Care and examination carried out by newborn and infant carers childhood hearing loss Coordinator of the EHC can still enable the early detection and/or suspicion • Infant infections contracted during pregnancy Advisory Working Group; (e.g.